


Stand By Me

by emilypineapple



Category: Jojo’s bizarre adventure
Genre: Angst, Chubby Girl, Comfort, Depression, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, More tags later, Romance, Slow Burn, Suicide, Violence, accidental reverse harem?, dark topics, maybe smut?, not great but I’m trying, probably a little out of character, sexual topics, whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2020-01-24 01:59:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18561640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilypineapple/pseuds/emilypineapple
Summary: Atsuki is a young girl suffering from loneliness and depression, two issues she fights everyday as she attends school. The bullying and harassment she suffers is easy to ignore until her world gets flipped upside down by the stud of the school. How can she deal with all of this attention and new added stress by a Jotaro’s presence? What will she do as bizarre things begin to happen in their town, things involving powers called stands.(I’m terrible at summaries. ^-^’)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m trying my best to make this interesting. I have a few chapter written up and I’m sure there are mistakes even though I’ve read over it a few times. My writing is nowhere near perfect so I hope it’s not too cringey or out of character. I’d love to hear feedback and hear constructive criticism!

Atsuki felt her body sink deeper into the bed, rejecting the idea of leaving for the school day. She had plenty of time since she always got up early, but her motivation to go was slowly slipping through her fingers. 

Silence rang in her ears, making her heart ache as the acknowledgment of being alone seeped in. As much as her parents loved her, their absence for work left her craving more than what she was receiving. Was it wrong to want a loving family that lived together? Maybe. 

Slowly, she slid out of the comforting embrace of her bed and snagged her clothes, pausing as she stared in the mirror. Height was something she lacked, leaving her standing at only five feet tall. A short bob haircut curved in on her chin, hugging her freckled cheeks to give her a rounder face. A cringe escaped her as a strand of her black hair harassed her dark blue eye, and she groaned as she tugged off her striped pj shirt. 

Dissatisfaction filled her as her eyes landed upon her thick thighs, slowly drifting to her chubby stomach, and ending on some of her stretch marks. She wouldn’t say she was huge but compared to the people at her school, she definitely wasn’t normal. Atsuki gave her tummy a frustrated poke before sliding on her brown school top and purple tie over her nude sports bra. There was no way in hell she was wearing some frilly bra when these were much more efficient and comfortable.

Atsuki tugged up her brown skirt, making sure it covered her butt, something that was actually quite flattering for her. She may be chubby but she curved in the right places. After pulling up her stockings, she clipped a purple bow in her hair and wrapped her black ribbon around a few locks. Today would be another day of smiles and haze. Her happiness had drifted a long time ago, turning her school days into meaningless blurs that left her feeling empty. Emptiness was normal now. Even her home was empty. The reflection of herself in the mirror made her pause, forcing a soft smile to hide the pain, not that she had anyone to really hide it from. 

“Let’s do this, I can do this.” The statement was a familiar one to her, often used to give her motivation in the morning. One last sigh parted from her lips before she stepped out of her house, calling out goodbye to the abyss she called home before continuing on. She had made sure to snag her favorite book, clasping it to her chest as she started on her way. 

The ribbon wrapped on her hair fluttered in the breeze, making her body relax as she focused on the tap of her steps on the street. The world felt peaceful and any chatter around her turned into white noise. Sometimes, the silence was calming and she enjoyed just observing the world without any concern, but other times it was unbearable. Luckily, today was a good day. 

Her moments of peace began to shatter as the smug laughing and whispers started up from behind her. Shit. Before she could begin to run from what she recognized as the bullies, a hand caught her shoulder and pulled her back. 

“Hey there, Kida, it’s nice seeing you here.” The boy behind her grinned, his smile devious as his blonde hair fell in his face. He was a typical delinquent who dyed their hair blonde, how threatening. The only thing scary about him was how orange his blonde hair was supposed to be. One of the other kids with him, smacked her book to the ground, laughing as it bounced across the sidewalk. Atsuki said nothing as she pulled away and moved to grab her novel, hoping ignoring them would squash their fun. The boy scoffed and lifted his leg, kicking her back as she bent over, not caring that if sent her stumbling into the road. The world slowed as she fell towards the pavement, the sight of a large bus appearing in the corner of her eye. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes closed, preparing for impact from the hunk of metal. A sudden force hitting her chest threw her backward and she hit a solid figure behind her. Two arms had carefully, grasped her, lifting her to her feet a few moments after she caught her breath. As her eyes opened, she met the intense gaze of the boy she had known as Jotaro Kujo. Irritation was in his stare but it didn’t seem directed towards her. The boy picked up her book and pressed it into her arms, turning his attention towards the boy’s who had shoved her. 

“Good grief, all I wanted was a peaceful walk to school and you guys ruined that.” His hiss made the boys shudder and run off, disappearing around the corner as they wailed in fear. An awkward silence formed between them and she cleared her throat, getting a side glance from the man. 

“Thank you, I know you would’ve rather not bothered but … thanks.” She gave him a bow before starting off ahead, thankful he lingered behind to give her some space. The gaze she felt locked on her back made her shudder and sigh. She was a bland girl who Jotaro would forget about by the end of the day and she would no longer have to deal with having his attention. She didn’t mind the kid but if people thought they were involved she would be shunned. 

The sudden screech of fellow school girls assaulted her ears and knocked her out of her thoughts. As the group of girls bolted passed her, she was nearly trampled in their attempt to get to Jotaro. Her eyes traveled back to him. She wouldn’t deny that he was attractive but it was clear that he didn’t want their attention and he didn’t want their love either. Poor guy had the deal with their harassment everyday. If it was her, she’d die because of people overload. 

It didn’t surprise her when the dude snapped, screaming for the girls to shut up along with more strings of insults. His words made her snort and chuckle, rolling her eyes as the groupies recovered and obsessed over his anger. How stupid.

Unfortunately for her, their eyes met again when he heard her laugh, causing her to abruptly look away and scurry ahead. She didn’t want a confrontation, especially with a dude more than half her size. He had helped her once and didn’t want him thinking she was making fun of him by laughing. Honestly, Jotaro seemed more like a guy who just wanted to be left alone than some crazy delinquent. Maybe she was wrong though. 

The grind of climbing the school’s stairs was something she dreaded, and it was always embarrassing reaching to the top and ending up out of breath. 

“Maybe if you took the stairs more often you wouldn’t look like that.” The insult made her cringe and tense, but she ignored the boys off to the side who were heckling her. Bullies were a common factor in her life, especially in middle school, but now it had at least calmed down to petty insults and after today, occasional attempted murder. 

Atsuki hurried along, moving past the groups of people to her resting spot beneath the tree on the side of the school. She needed to relax after almost dying by getting bulldozed by a truck.

She carefully lowered herself onto the grass and sighed as she leaned against the tree behind her. No one would bother her here. Her mind shifted to her book, leading her to flip it open and begin to read, upset that the cover was now bent. The world around her faded away as the words on the page visualized in her mind and enveloped her. The stories protected her from reality and made her day just a little bit better. It was her break from her melancholy life, and her time to truly let go of her worries. 

The steady movement of her breathing made her body slowly begin to drift off, her eyelids fluttering shut as her mind stayed in the fantasy world she had been exploring. 

______________________________ 

Jotaro was irritated to say the least. Being swarmed by girls might be alluring to some, but to him it was just tedious. Lashing out at them was normal with how clingy they were but he wasn’t expecting to hear a reaction from the girl he had just saved.

Locking eyes with the girl who snorted was awkward, especially since the acknowledgment of his gaze made her look horrified before running off. At least she wasn’t obsessed over him, he’d rather them be afraid. He watched her in amusement as she disappeared around the corner to get away from his stare. While he didn’t care about her, the fact that those boys nearly killed her just to be a douche pissed him off. He never really noticed her before but he did know that she was one of the girls that got targeted by the delinquents at the school. Whatever, it wasn’t his problem.

The glare directed towards the girls made them squeal and obsess among themselves, giving him time to slip away and start up the stairs. His thoughts lingered on many things as he moved forward, praying the girls didn’t notice he had left. 

Jotaro’s blue eyes flickered upward to that girl he had seen earlier, watching curiously as she groaned. The stairs were probably much harder for someone with such short legs. He watched her exhale deeply as she reached the top, curling in on herself as one of the boys lingering outside the school shouted insults. 

It didn’t matter to him what they said, but seeing the girl’s saddened face irked him. It was unnecessary and annoying, especially since they were loud and disruptive. He released a sigh and turned away. There was no reason for him to get involved. She wasn’t his friend so it wasn’t his problem. 

His eyes fell on the girl one last time as she disappeared on the opposite side of the school, a place where not many people gathered. Jotaro ignored his curiosity and entered the school. She was just another annoying girl who didn’t deserve his acknowledgment. He didn’t need her following him around too. 

______________________________ 

Atsuki awoke to the sound of the school bell signaling class starting, a horrifying sound for someone who was never late. The last thing she needed was detention to make it so her routine to avoid the bullies for screwed over. She shoved her items in her bag and began to run towards the school. The teachers would have the doors closed, making it impossible to get passed them without them catching her late ass. There was one option that would turn out rather perfectly or terribly, no in between. Instead of starting for the doors, she headed to her classroom window, knowing her friend katawa sat next to it. 

As soon as her friend came into view, she saw him double take and furrow his brow in confusion, understanding once she made violent motions to open the window. Katawa quickly stood and yanked it open, ignoring the confused stares from his classmates. 

Atsuki took a deep breath before she reached the edge, successfully vaulting over it and flopping into her chair. The window slammed shut quickly and the two of them quickly relaxed, acting natural as the teacher stepped inside. Thank god. She was chubby but that doesn’t mean she can’t be slick. 

The class seemed to ignore the event, forgetting about it by the start of their lessons. As hard as she tried to focus, her notes turned into doodles and her doodles turned into daydreaming. Slowly, her eyes drifted over the room, pausing on Jotaro. His blue eyes were focused forward but his mind seemed somewhere else. Even with his lack of attention, his exam scores were always high, especially for someone labeled a delinquent. 

For fear of getting caught, she averted her gaze to her work, not noticing the glance the man in question gave her. 

As class ended, she glanced up at katawa, smiling as he leaned on her desk. 

“You know, for someone who hates attention from others, jumping in through the window is pretty out of character.” He chuckled. 

“Well, being late would’ve earned me more attention because the teacher would’ve scolded me in front of the class.” A yawn left her lips and she rubbed her eyes. “Being humiliated would be worse.” 

“I guess that’s true.” The brown haired boy glanced up, before returning his eyes to her face. “You know, Jojo kept looking at you. Maybe you won over the stud of the school’s heart.” 

“Oh shut up, I vaulted through a window, everyone was shocked. Who says I’d want to be with him anyways? I’m not a crazy fan girl.” With a roll of her eyes, she leaned back in her seat. “I’m not attractive enough for anyone in this school to really like me anyways.”

“That’s not true, you’re very cute. Anyone would be lucky to have you.” The boy frowned, upset at her degrading herself.  
A light blush covered his cheeks and he averted his gaze as he realized what he said.

“Thanks.” Atsuki grasped his hand and squeezed it. “I really needed that.” Her smile was warm and for once genuine. It had been a long time since she had truly smiled, but it felt nice to finally achieve it again. 

_________________________________

After first period, the rest of the day went quickly, that was until she got stuck on cleaning duty for their classroom. Of course, since she was the one cleaning, many of the boys who heckled her made sure to make a mess. It was frustrating but confronting them would only make it worse. 

Her mind drifted as she wiped down the blackboard, struggling as she tried to reach the top. Fuck these short legs. Normally two people were assigned to cleaning duty but her second person had snuck out. This sucked ass. She snagged a chair from one of the desks and set it up in front of the board. It was a terrible idea but there was no other way for her to reach it. 

Being careful was not enough to stop the wobbling of her chair, leaving her paranoid that one movement would send her plummeting to the ground. 

“Are you stupid?” A loud yelp sounded from her as a hand ripped away the eraser and a voice called from behind her. Her fear caused her to fall backward, leaving her to accept her impending doom. Luckily, a strong arm grasped her waist, lowering her softly to the ground. 

Her eyes shifted upward to lock on Jotaro’s, creating an awkward silence. “Maybe.” Was all that she was able to say, before he shoved a rag into her chest and motioned to the desks with his thumb. 

“Wipe them down, I’ll handle this.” He grunted, turning away from her nonchalantly. 

Instead of speaking, she nodded and set off on her quest to clean, remaining silent for the majority of the time. Thanks to his height, Jotaro had no issues cleaning the board and dusting the shelves. Had he been on cleaning duty too? She didn’t think he’d be one to actually go.

Atsuki grasped the broom and began to circle the room, enjoying the comfortable silence that had settled between the two. Her attention strayed, focusing on a bunch of ripped paper splayed around the corner. Her eyes scanned over the ripped up pages and broken pencils, eventually focusing on one of them was left open. It read ‘fat ass’ scribbled on it with a doodle of a pig. How tasteful. She tried to ignore the sadness spreading through her body as she scooped up the rest of the papers and dumped them in the trash. She couldn’t let it bother her, it would only make things more difficult. 

The steps of Jotaro approaching rang in her ears, sending a shudder through her body. She would never be obsessed with him, but the thought of him was alluring. She pushed the notes down in the trash, hoping he didn’t catch sight of them, not that he would care.

“Thank you, Kujo, I appreciate the help. This mess is here because of me though so you should go.” Her tone was soft but showed no signs of wavering or nervousness. Ignoring the bullying had been the best way of hiding it. Tattling would get her no where so there wasn’t any reason for her to try. 

Jotaro seemed to pause, taken aback by not only her formalities but also her lack of enthusiasm over him being here. After a moment of silence, he nodded and strolled over to the door, opening it slightly before pausing. 

She ignored it, not wanting to create an awkward conversation, especially with someone who got irritated easy. Atsuki emptied her trash into the wastebin, and lifted the bag. The last thing she needed to do was bring each trash to the furnace, a feat that isn’t as easy as it sounds. Many of the bullies would hang around it, meaning she would be entering a battle zone she might not survive in. 

The door closed and Atsuki huffed as she pulled one of the heavier trashes out. At least Jotaro wouldn’t have to witness her getting her ass beat. 

“Give me that.” She glanced back, seeing Jotaro approaching her. Despite his words sounding like he was waiting, he snatched the heavier garbage from her hand and turned. “Let’s go.”

“Okay …” she didn’t bring up his choice to stay, instead remaining silent as they walked. At least she didn’t annoy him, well, if she did, he didn’t express it. 

The bright sky had changed to a lighter orange mixed with pink, leaving her captivated by its beauty. Nature could be so beautiful compared to the city. It was so much more calming and and welcoming than the noisy cramped feeling of the town. 

Atsuki paused as the furnace came into sight. Just as she expected. Multiple of the offenders who normally targeted her were waiting around, watching her with their stupid smirks. 

“Hey there, Kida. We were waiting for you to arrive. We wanted to help you with the trash.” The man smiled as he held out his palm. “Oh wait, you are the trash.” 

“Kujo, thanks for the help but I-“ She was silenced as he pushed her back, taking her other bag up in his hand easily. He walked passed the men watching, knowing that they wouldn’t start anything with him. He was bigger and stronger than them and they knew that. The atmosphere was tense as Jotaro moved beside them, finishing up their work easily before walking back. 

“I think she was going to say she didn’t need your help.” The man stated, voice clearly frustrated. Atsuki began to panic as she saw Jotaro turn back, eyes dark as he took in the sight of the other boy. Shit. 

Before she could really comprehend what to do, she grasped Jotaro’s hand and pulled. Surprisingly, he followed her, not ripping his hand away from her in disgust like she expected. Once they were a decently far away, Atsuki released his hand, feeling awkward as they came to a stop. 

“Kujo-“ 

“Shut up.” His harsh words startled her, making her back away and look down. “Stop calling me that, just say Jojo.” 

“Oh … okay, I guess you can call me Atsuki if you wish.” This felt weird. “Anyways, Jojo, Thank you. You didn’t have to help me.”

Unable to deal with their eye contact, she bowed politely, hoping it would express her gratitude. A grunt was all she heard before he grasped her head and forced her to stand up. 

“I didn’t do it for you. The last thing I need is to get stuck here because there is a fight. They are annoying and I just wanted to leave.” He stated strongly, face serious. 

“Oh, okay.” Atsuki didn’t bring up how he came back to help with the trash despite being dismissed, afraid it would piss him off. “Have a nice day then, I’ll be leaving now.” 

Atsuki gave a light wave before starting to descend the stairs, realizing how awkward it was since they were walking down next to each other. Since she already said goodbye, it would be uncomfortable to talk, so her mind wandered instead as she tried to ignore his presence. Unfortunately, he rounded the corner as well, following behind her slowly. Come on, his legs are longer, he could totally walk ahead. 

Once again, she said nothing. Making conversation was pointless since he didn’t want to talk, and it would be weird to say something now. Even if they did talk, what would she talk about? 

Atsuki nearly sighed out in relief as a convenience store came into view. She could go inside so he would walk on without her. A gasp left her as the sale sign for mochi came into view, leading her to bolt for the door. Her sudden movement and cheers startled Jotaro, causing him to linger outside. 

“Mochi!” She cheered as she bounced up to the variety of food, overwhelmed by the flavors before her. Her day was rough but at least she had food to make it better. 

_________________________________

 

The abrupt gasp from Atsuki made him tense, glancing around for the cause of concern. While he truly didn’t care what happened to the girl, he had a bad feeling about the way those bullies were targeting her. If they had the will to attack her at the furnace when she had no escape, it was likely they would search for another method. The process was tedious, especially since he lived in the opposite direction, but he’d rather have less drama at school. 

Now that she has decided to enter the store, it would appear weird if he waited outside. If she picked up on the fact he was following her, he wouldn’t have a reasonable explanation as to why he was doing it. In fact, it might even seem creepy or be considered stalking. Maybe this was too much effort for someone he didn’t know. 

Atsuki was an interesting girl, she proved that when she climbed in the classroom window to avoid being late. At least she wasn’t annoying or loud like the other girls at school. Honestly, he could see them being friends if she wasn’t too bothersome, though he’d never say that. 

A grunt left his lips as he entered the store, noticing her grasping multiple packages of mochi. She must really like it if she squealed over a small sale. He slowly lifted up a bag of chips, scowling at the thought of spending money on something he didn’t need. It would be easier if he just told her the truth to avoid the confusion. Jotaro groaned internally, walking over to her slowly before frowning as she flinched away and shuffled nervously. 

“Hey, Jojo, did you need something?” The girl seemed more confused than scared, but her reaction wasn’t pleasant. 

“It’s late and getting dark. I’m walking you home.” He stated. “It’s on my way so it won’t be a problem taking you. It will be tedious and annoying but I’ll do it.” 

Atsuki let out an amused laugh and shook her head. “I’m fine, I don’t want to make issues for you either. I usually walk home alone so it’s not an issue.” 

Jotaro frowned. That backfired. He didn’t want to seem too invested or adamant about helping, but she was a tiny girl, what would she do if someone attacked her? 

“I wasn’t asking, I was stating.” He uttered,  
following behind her in irritation. Why couldn’t she just accept his help? 

“Oh yeah? I guess you can walk with me.” Atsuki glanced up at the clerk, smiling as he greeted her happily. 

“Mochi for dinner again? You should really get a healthy meal for once.” He chuckled as she flushed, looking away shyly. 

“I don’t always eat that.” She muttered. 

“You … you can always come over and I can cook for you.” He muttered, expression shy as he tried his best to carefully show his interest. 

“It’s okay, I’m not going to bother you like that.” She waved him off, not noticing how he deflated because of her words. His eyes flickered to Jotaro and all hope seemed to drain from his body, seemingly thinking they were dating. 

Jotaro raised his eyebrows, ignoring the man’s reaction to focus on the outside world instead. The sky had become completely dark by now, leaving only the street lamps to light up the way. 

His thoughts were quickly disrupted by the doors to the store opening and  
Atsuki walking out without him. 

“God damnit.” Jotaro growled out his frustration and hurried after her, reaching her side in a few strides. “I said we were going together.” 

“And I said I was fine alone.” She kept her eyes forward as she moved, gripping her bag of goodies tightly. 

“Stop being an ass. You’re a girl out at night alone, it makes you a target.” Atsuki looked away when he spoke, obviously irritated by his words.

“I know.” She stated, trying to speed up to hurry ahead, only to fail as he easily kept up. “You’re putting in a lot of effort for me.”

“It’s not for you.” 

“You’ve made that clear, I don’t need you, Kujo, but thanks anyways.” Her words were harsh and strong as she spun on her heels and stormed away. 

Jotaro paused, uncertain of if he should follow. She made it clear what she wanted and even demoted him to a last name basis. They weren’t close and he didn’t care about her, but it was irritating to be told what to do. 

It was an easy decision to keep following her, figuring it wouldn’t matter if he pissed her off because they didn’t talk. He made sure to give her a decent amount of space, watching from behind to ensure she wasn’t having issues. What a feisty girl. Not many people would speak to him that way, but she had no problem doing it. 

The atmosphere around him suddenly became tense, and his eyes shifted to the girl a few feet ahead of him. There had been rumors of gangs hanging in the local alleyways who would target anyone passing by, and Atsuki was the perfect target. 

Jotaro’s eyes landed on some individuals lingering ahead, all of which seemed to have noticed the small school girl ahead of him. He began to speed up, gritting his teeth as one of the men grasped her wrist.

“Hey, did you need help getting home? It’s not safe to be out here.” He smiled, showing a mouth with many missing teeth. He didn’t look trustworthy and she didn’t seem to want to be near him. 

“I’m fine, thank you for the offer though.” She put on a fake smile, trying to maintain it as the man refused to let her go. 

“Come on, we can get to know each other.” His smirk widened as he began to try to pull her into the alley with his group member joining him. 

A swift shove was delivered to the man’s body as Jotaro pulled Atsuki to his side and gripped her hand.

“I’m already helping her home, she doesn’t need you.” Atsuki paused at his words, shifting nervously as their gaze was casted upon her. 

“She doesn’t seem to know you, I think you should hand her back over so no one has to get hurt.” The Situation changed immediately as Jotaro didn’t give them a chance to move. 

Atsuki was quickly cast aside as he moved forward, easily landing a punch to the man’s face to knock him down. His movements were swift and strong as he rammed his knee into one of their stomachs before kicking another in the face. It ended just as quickly as it had began, leaving Atsuki standing there awkwardly. 

As soon as he stepped back, he snagged her hand and began pulling her away from the scene.

The silence between them was awkward, and Jotaro didn’t plan on talking about the events that took place.

“Thank you.” Her voice was quiet as she spoke to him. 

“Yeah, whatever.” He was nonchalant as he led her along, still gripping her wrist tightly to make sure she didn’t run ahead. Jotaro instinctively unclenched his one hand, examining his raw knuckles. 

Atsuki slowed to a stop as she glanced at a house. “We’re here … thank you. Uh … would you like to come in for tea? I can help your hands.” 

Jotaro thought about accepting her offer, but decided against it as he slowly released her hand and shook his head. “Get inside, I’m leaving.” 

Atsuki just nodded and left him, not speaking another word as she disappeared into the house. God this has been exhausting. Why did he do this again? He went out of his way to help someone he didn’t even like. A sigh left him as he took one last look at the house before leaving.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just realized I posted the first chapter wrong. I fixed everything now so it shows up as a series and not a one shot. Feel free to comment thoughts and everything, I’d love to hear it! I have a few drawings of Atsuki if anyone wants to see them too!

Atsuki sighed as she tapped her pencil on her desk, thinking back on the events that had occurred. It had been a few days since she had interacted with Jotaro, and there had been nothing but silence between them. Neither of them made an effort to talk to each other, and it would’ve seemed like they had never interacted if those asshats waiting to ambush her hadn’t started rumors. 

Ever since that day, the rumor started that she was sleeping with Jotaro and that she was a whore amongst everything. The rumors wouldn’t bother her if it hadn’t made all the girls turn against her as soon as they heard. Now a lot of them were playing dirty as they tried to injure her physically and mentally, making it harder for her to function at school. 

Now that this had started, the only person that would really speak to her was Katawa, and that was okay. He was the only one that she ever really talked to anyways so it didn’t change much. 

The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch time and freedom from the stuffy classroom. Katawa was in another class currently so she couldn’t rely on him to save her from any assaults, which meant she had to move quickly. Atsuki snagged her lunch and scurried out, slipping between people to go out to her resting spot under the tree. At least there she would be alone and safe from the judging looks, at least that’s what she thought. 

A hand snagged her shirt and she was tugged back, causing her lunch to topple to the ground and spill out on the grass. 

“Whoops.” The fake caring in the voice led Atsuki to flinch and writhe away from the older classmate’s hold. Atsuki glanced around, examining each of the females, mainly Jotaro’s fans, before glaring. 

“Let me go.” She stated strongly, expression irritated as she yanked herself away. 

“How was it? Sex with him? You probably had to beg, huh? Jotaro isn’t someone you can keep to yourself like that, you need to learn your lesson.” Her words became more venomous as she continued to speak, leading Atsuki to back away. 

“First of all, he’s not an item you all get to share, second, I didn’t sleep with him. Of course, none of you are smart enough to believe me!” Atsuki’s words were met with a string of insults being thrown at her. Trying to escape was proved useless as two girls grabbed her tightly, dragging her a few feet down to the fountain. 

With one rough shove, Atsuki fell forward and smacked her knee on the stone, cringing at the loud crack she heard. Her body tumbled into the water, and she hissed as she felt the blood began to leave her wound. The water soaked her clothes and the rough bottom of the fountain ripped open her skin.

Atsuki said nothing as she watched the water around her turn red with her blood, and all the females scatter. They were brave enough to start this but not enough to end it. Silence filled the air as she sat in the water, tears pricking the corner of her eyes as pain rattled her body. Should she just lay here and bleed out in the fountain? It might be better than trying to continue on. 

After a second of compilation, Atsuki rolled out of the water and began limping towards the school. One step caused blood to spurt out of her knee, making her begin to feel dizzy. 

“Nope, Nope, nope.” Her chant of disapproval was met with a sudden wave of nausea. She only made it a few steps before her leg gave out and she sat there in a pool of blood. “Well, shit. Guess I’ll die.” 

The world seemed to slow as she laid there, looking at her ripped up palms as they trickled blood. The bullying has always been bad but this was becoming too much. If she’d only get hurt coming, why even bother? One thing’s for sure, she had to keep Jotaro out of her life. It wasn’t his fault that this was happening. He couldn’t change the fact that the girls are way too obsessed with him, and she didn’t blame him for anything. If only life could be simple. 

_________________________________

The rumors going around school didn’t faze him much, mostly because he didn’t care. Not many people would question him or try to start shit, but it was irritating when the girls whined and the boys made lewd comments. For him, it wasn’t that hard to deal with, but Atsuki had been struggling. He had watched the aggression for her escalate over the past few days, becoming especially vile since the girls joined in. 

The previous day he remembered watching as she opened her shoe locker to find dead fish and written threats in there instead. He had no idea how to help her without making it worse. If he said something, the girls might get more upset that he was sticking up for her but things couldn’t continue this way. The poor girl looked like she was ready to break. 

Normally, he would sit around at lunch and ignore people as he found a secluded spot, but now he was wandering around looking for where Atsuki ran off to. He had been trying to avoid interacting with her in front of people to help squander the rumors, and unfortunately that wasn’t working. Now they just assumed they had a one night stand and they labeled her a whore. How annoying. 

He came to a halt as he stepped outside the school, spotting one of their classmates that often interacted with Atsuki trying his best to help her walk. Her uniform was soaked and her legs and hands were covered in blood, leaving a long trail of bloody water from here to the fountain.

“Atsuki.” He muttered her name under his breath, trying not to seem as distraught as he felt as he hurried to her side. “What happened?” 

“Don’t worry about it.” She hissed, grasping Katawa as she trembled. Being soaked in this weather was a death wish, especially since everyone had been getting sick. A frown painted his face as he held out his arms, expecting Katawa to hand her over. He could get her to the nurse’s office faster than this scrawny little shit. 

“She doesn’t need your help. It’s your fault this is happening to her! You need to ge-“ Atsuki placed a comforting hand on Katawa’s chest. 

“It’s not his fault, he can’t help that everyone is obsessed with him.” She uttered, stumbling as she leaned on him for more support. Katawa was only a few inches taller than her and he was way too skinny to be able to carry her. How pathetic. Fuck this. Jotaro grasped the boy’s shoulder and, as gently as he could while being forceful, ripped him away from her. Pushing the boy away allowed an opening for Jotaro and he easily boosted her up into his grasp, pressing her close to try and warm her up. 

“What the hell!?” Katawa frowned and scurried after Jotaro as he walked away, pissed that he didn’t listen. Atsuki said nothing, too tired to talk or struggle in his arms, and seemingly enjoying the hold. Jotaro grimaced as the cold water sank into his clothing, freezing his skin and making him shiver. If just a little bit of water made him cold, she must be freezing. 

Katawa continued to complain about Jotaro’s brashness, but he tuned it out, carefully maneuvering the halls to avoid any students seeing them. Atsuki had passed out, obviously too overwhelmed by all the blood she had running down her body. 

Once in the office, the nurse shooed the boys to the corner so she could help her wounds and change her clothing to something dry. 

“You should leave, you’re only hurting her.” Katawa glanced up at him, brown eyes serious and full of hate. 

“Shut up, I don’t care about your input.” He grumbled, looking towards the curtain Atsuki was behind. 

“You don’t care about anything. If you cared about anyone you would’ve stopped this before she got hurt.” Katawa looked towards the curtain as well, face sullen. 

Jotaro clenched his fists, irritated by his comments. He pushed off the wall and walked over to the bed to watch over the girl. “Are her parents coming to get her?” He asked, planning to help carry her to the car. 

“No, her parents are out of the country so we don’t have any guardians to come and get her. She can’t walk home so I need to find someone who will take her.” The nurse sighed, obviously concerned by this outcome. 

“I’ll take her home, it shouldn’t be too hard.” Katawa stepped forward, only to receive a glare from Jotaro. 

“You’re too weak, you couldn’t even carry her here.” He argued, ready for a challenge. This was happening because of him so he should at least make things right. 

“Jotaro, you’re her boyfriend right?” The nurse looked between them awkwardly, obviously aware of the rumors spreading. 

“Yes.” He stated, leaning down to place a fake kiss on her forehead. “I know where she lives so I can take her home.” 

Jotaro ignored the horrified stare from Atsuki’s friend, instead lifting her into his arms. Damp hair clung to her face as she laid peacefully in his arms, and her chest synced with his own breathing. Her freckles on her cheeks were light, not as prominent because of the lack of sun, but they still made her expression rather cute. 

“Perfect, you can go now so there won’t be as much attention put on you. She can walk a little bit don’t let her do excessive amounts. She needs to take it easy so she doesn’t rip her stitches.” The nurse wrote down some notes and sighed. “I’ll clear everything with the school so neither of you will get in trouble. I expect an explanation from her when she is healthy enough to come back.” 

Jotaro gave the nurse a swift nod and shifted Atsuki in his arms. If she had no one at home, who would take care of her? With the extreme bullying, it wouldn’t be smart to take her to school like this, by leaving her alone at home would be worse. The bandages on her palms caught his eyes and he frowned, slowly glancing down to her knee. How could someone do this to her just because they thought she had slept with him? He had lied to the nurse about their status, but he trusted her enough to know she wouldn’t go around school telling everyone. 

Once all of the students had retreated back to their classroom, Jotaro slipped out the door, scowling as the brown-headed boy followed behind him. 

“Bullshit! You two can’t be dating, she told me you weren’t.” Katawa moved in front of him. “I don’t trust you. You can’t just take her when you caused this.” 

“Move, before I make you move. I don’t need to explain myself to you.” Jotaro brushed passed him, knocking his shoulder against the boy to push him away. 

Katawa watched on in anger, smart enough to know he couldn’t start a fight with him and win. He’d have to do something to help her some other time. 

_________________________________

Jotaro had decided it would be easier to watch over her if she was at his house, but that also meant he’d have to deal with his mother’s questioning. Unfortunately, his grandfather was also here, so the questioning would be worse. Halfway home, he had removed his jacket and wrapped it around her, concerned by the way she was shaking. The pajama like clothes the nurse gave her we’re not thick enough to handle the outside air. Luckily, she was asleep so she’d never know he did this, a fact he was grateful for. 

When he arrived at his home, he ignored his family, hushing them until he was able to lay Atsuki down in another room. 

“My Jotaro brought home a girl!” Holly smiled widely, her face filled with joy as she peeked into his room to glance at her sleeping figure. 

“Who is she?” Joseph peered in over Holly’s shoulder, spying the bandaged hands. 

“Good grief.” He groaned as he shut his door to block out their view. “Come on, let’s talk.” 

________________________________

Atsuki groaned at the pain in her knee, her eyes slowly fluttering open to reveal a house. As the grogginess begin to leave her, she started to panic. This wasn’t her home, where the hell was she? The last thing she remembered was Jotaro carrying her, a memory that made her blush. It was embarrassing to look so weak in front of people, and she hated every second of it. Before she continued to spiral, the door opened to reveal an older man she didn’t recognize carrying a tray with tea. 

“Oh, you’re awake.” The man paused awkwardly, looking out the door. “I should get Jojo.”

“No, no. It’s fine.” She ushered him in, relieved she wouldn’t see Jotaro yet. The recovery time for her embarrassment hadn’t passed so she’d rather not see him. 

“My name’s Joseph Joestar, I’m Jojo’s grandfather.” His smile was warm and Atsuki found herself captivated. Wow. Someone so pleasant was related to Jotaro. 

“I’m Atsuki, it’s nice to meet you.” Their conversation started out simple before spiraling into something more bizarre. Her interest peaked when Joseph began to talk about his past and everything he went through. The way he spoke made it sound so real, despite the fact that his tales sounded completely fictional. 

“Wow, Mr. Joestar, you are amazing!” Her cheer of excitement was genuine as she grasped his hand and stared at him with sparkling eyes. 

“You think so?” Joseph rubbed the back of his head, face flushed with embarrassment at her complements. 

“You really are! I wish I was as amazing as you!” Joseph sounded like such a cool person. “Maybe you-“

“Are you flirting with my grandfather?” The door opened, causing her to jump and flush. 

“God no! I would never.” Panic set in as she glanced to Joseph. “Not that you’re not attractive, you’re really attractive … not that I’m attracted to you. I mean … I guess I am if I find you attractive? I’m young though so being with a older man wouldn’t be good, not that you’re old or anything.” 

Atsuki flopped back down and pulled the blanket over her head. God, if there is anytime to strike someone dead it would be now. All she heard from Joseph was a soft chuckle and a sigh. 

“I told you to get me if she woke up.” Jotaro’s words were irritated and cold, a tone that one wouldn’t normally use when speaking to their grandpa. 

“Well, we started talking so I forgot.” 

“Maybe you’re just getting old.” Atsuki popped her head out and glared at him. 

“Stop being mean to him, he’s cool and really nice.” Luckily, she managed to omit the ‘unlike someone’ line she wanted to add. 

Jotaro rolled his eyes and sighed in satisfaction as Joseph left, leaving them alone. “How’s your knee?” 

“Fine, I’m just tired, but that’s normal for me.” Slowly, she moved to a sitting position and glanced at him. “You could’ve dropped me off at home, you didn’t have to go through all of this trouble for me.” 

“I would’ve, but you have no one to help you at home. The nurse sounded like she wouldn’t let you go without someone there to watch you.” Jotaro watched her deflate, staring at the ground with saddened eyes. “Where are your parents?” He posed the question carefully, trying to ease the pain she might feel. 

“They are out of the country. They give me money so I can support myself but … they haven’t been home in …. a year? Maybe more. They call me when they remember but I’m alone a lot. Even if I call them now, they’ll just send someone to take care of me.” Tears pricked the corner of her eyes and her voice shook, breaking as she averted her gaze. 

“I see. I’m sorry.” The sympathy in his voice was nearly non-existent, but she understood he struggled expressing himself. 

“It’s okay, I’m used to it so it doesn’t bother me too much. They left me  
When I was thirteen so at least I learned how to care for myself early.” The soft smile on her face was fake and filled with heartbreak, but not many people could read it. Hiding her feelings was something she mastered long ago, something that no child should have to do. 

When her parents would finally call, she’d be left full of excitement as they made false promises. They’d say they would be coming home in a few days before they called back to say they had another job and couldn’t make it. To them, she was a weight holding them down, someone that they didn’t want to come back to. Their apologies meant nothing to her anymore and they definitely weren’t sincere.

“That’s terrible!” Joseph opened the door, causing him and Holly to topple in. 

“You poor girl! You can come over anytime for anything.” Holly threw her arms around the girl, squeezing her tightly as she cuddled into her body. 

“Mom, Stop being clingy.” Jotaro scowled, not approving of their shameless eavesdropping. 

“Jotaro doesn’t even have to be here. Come whenever, okay?” Holly grabbed Atsuki’s cheeks, smooshing them as she wiped away her tears. 

“Okay …” A light blush powdered her cheeks as happiness seeped into her. If she did come here, would it feel like a real family? That would be nice. With her focus shifted, she didn’t notice the way Jotaro smiled while pulling down his hat to try to hide his expression.


	3. Bonus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have about 14 chapters of this story written out and originally it was just for me. Because of that, I skipped elaborating on some details about Jotaro and Atsuki interacting since I already know their relationship. Since there may be some areas where is skipped over some stuff, I’ll post bonus chapters with information that is referenced but not explored in later chapters. If you guys have any requests on interactions you want to see I can post bonus chapters involving them! Anyways, please enjoy!

Atsuki’s eyes followed Jotaro as he moved around his room, setting up blankets on a futon he had moved in so she could be comfortable. The silence was awkward as he waved his arms to spread out the comforter, his expression so serious she had to glance away. Why was he doing this if it pained him so much? Slowly, her gaze found its way to her knee she had propped up on a pillow and she didn’t hesitate to roll up her pajama pants to expose the bandage. Just looking at it made her cringe and feel slightly dizzy. Though the wound wasn’t serious, it just seemed like there was so much blood pouring out of her that she couldn’t prevent herself from losing consciousness. The scratches on her palms weren’t nearly as bad but bending them made the sensitive skin sting and burn from the abuse, a frustrating turn of events since it hurt to hold anything. This problem was one reason Jotaro was building her bed for her. 

“Just because you’re in my room doesn’t mean I like you. Don’t go falling in love or anything because I won’t like you back, and leave my stuff alone.” His warning made her snort and chuckle in amusement, glancing to him as he scowled. 

“Sorry, I just don’t feel that way towards you. I appreciate what you’re doing but I’m not a fan girl who gets off on insults. I don’t go and swoon over attractive guys, that’s not who I am. Sure, I will admire them and I do get flustered but I’m not someone who will get obsessed. In fact, I feel bad for you because of how they act. They treat you like some object they have custody over and it’s fucking annoying. When they attacked me I told them that. You aren’t their property and they can’t say who you belong to or control who you want to be with.” Atsuki waved her hands as she spoke, irritated with the thought of having to deal with people like that. “Anyways, my point is, I don’t love you and I won’t try to win you over. I don’t mind being friends but I just am thankful for your help so I won’t expect that from you either.” 

The response she gave seemed to startle him, leaving him speechless as he gazed down at her with a intensity she didn’t see often. He seemed to be looking for any possible signs of deception or love that she could be masking from him, exhaling once he appeared satisfied. 

“Good.” He grumbled out his words, turning away as he finished sorting the bedding and stepped aside.

“Why am I staying in your room anyways? There were more guest rooms, right?” Atsuki hoped she didn’t sound rude asking that but she was sure they could put her somewhere else if they needed to. 

“The heat in other portions of the house wasn’t working so unless you want to freeze your ass off, suck it up.” He grumbled, pushing her back to the floor when she tried to stand. Damn, he was taking the nurse’s instructions way too seriously. 

“I could’ve slept in Holly’s room so you don’t have to be uncomfortable.” The boy seemed to pause, contemplating her words before turning back to shoot her a deadly glare. 

“Good grief, shut up and just accept the help.” He hissed, boosting her up in his arms to lay her down on the mattress, throwing the blanket onto her roughly. 

“Thank you.” He grunted in frustration at her words, climbing in his own bed as he faced the opposite way. 

“Go to sleep.”

“Okay.” Atsuki held in her giggles as she burrowed into the blanket, slowly drifting off as her mind cleared. Despite Jotaro being grumpy about her presence, it felt nice to have other people in the same house as her. Comfort seeped in as she fell into a deep slumber, relief present in her soft smile. She could get used to this. 

_________________________________

 

The slap of her schoolwork hitting the table made Atsuki jolt and glance up to her classmate, his expression as grumpy as usual. She had been daydreaming as she sat tucked under the kotatsu in front of the tv, sipping a warm cup of hot chocolate Joseph had brought her. The man was practically a stranger yet he was spoiling her more than even her own parents would. Joseph and holly had kept her company most of the day, only leaving a few minutes ago to gather groceries for dinner.

“I got your work for today.” Jotaro’s eyes flickered towards her before drifting to the kitchen as he disappeared through the doorway. 

“Oh, thanks!” She called out, pulling the papers over to herself to skim through. Handling her English and History work would be a breeze but the math and science portions would be the death of her, especially without her textbooks. As badly as she felt like procrastinating, Atsuki caved and began to read over the papers, starting with what she could easily answer. 

The light buzz of the tv in the background became drowned out as she worked, her mind not registering Jotaro’s presence behind her. Despite being in the same room, they were silent, Atsuki only emitting the sound of her pencil drifting across the page while Jotaro read a book seemingly about some kind of marine life. The air between them was comfortable and Atsuki felt no need to speak, instead deciding to move on to her biology homework. Fuck, biology was the worst. It wasn’t like she didn’t like science, she thought it was very interesting but understanding it wasn’t her strong suit. It was like trying to understand a foreign language that she had no experience with and she was really good with languages. 

About five minutes passed of her blankly staring at the page, trying her best not to tap her pencil on the table in frustration so she didn’t bother her edgy buddy. She could always put down a half-assed explanation but she’d rather not tarnish her grade because of her thinning patience. 

“Are you broken? You’ve been staring at that for way too long.” Jotaro’s grumble made her snort and run her fingers through her hair, abandoning her pencil on the table. 

“Oh yeah. I’m broken. Why are math and science so hard?” Atsuki plopped her head down, hissing as she slapped her face a little too hard against the wooden surface. 

“Good grief.” The chair he was once seated in creaked as the boy stood and sat beside her, hastily pulling the papers towards him to examine. “What don’t you get?” 

“Basically all of it.” She uttered, her expression downtrodden. “I don’t have my notes of textbooks so my brain just gave up. I try so hard to understand but I just can never seem to process it.” 

“Sounds like you need to change your methods.” Surprisingly, Jotaro’s tone held no contempt or irritation as his blue gaze landed on her. “I’ll help you this time but don’t expect me to do this every time, I’m not your tutor.” 

Atsuki chuckled as she sat up, scooting closer to him to listen as he spoke. “Thank you for the help, I need it.” 

She never expected Jotaro’s teaching to be so easy to understand, mostly because it seemed as if he’d get irritated and give up, but he actively explained everything and was patient as she listened. Their conversation was light and rather upbeat, well, as upbeat as Jotaro could be considered, compared to his normal gruff nature. It was nice. 

“Interesting … you like marine life, right?” The boy tensed under her gaze, hesitating before he gave an abrupt nod. Jotaro snagged the book he had been reading and placed it in front of them, pointing out the cover that read, The Secrets and Facts Of Marine Life. 

“Yes, did you know you can tell the age of a bottlenose dolphin by counting their layers of teeth? Also, some were trained to find sea mines and they can get high on pufferfish.” Jotaro’s rambling made her grin, resting her elbow on the table to prop up her head as she listened. 

“Really? That’s cool! I always wanted to swim with a dolphin.” Jotaro nearly smiled at her words, satisfied with her interest. 

“Their faces make them look like they are always smiling but dolphins are not always nice. If you do, you have to be careful.” He continued to ramble on facts, causing her to relax beside him, not hesitating to ask him more questions. 

“I guess if I go, you’ll have to come along to help me. I guarantee I will be the person to die from a dolphin.” The man snorted and rolled his eyes, switching out her biology homework for the math. 

“Alright, enough stalling. Let’s get this over with so I don’t have to keep tutoring you.” He grumbled, shifting his hat to hide his softened expression. 

“I get it, no more help from you after today.” 

The next day Jotaro continued to assist with her homework, happily explaining the process of how different underwater vegetation grew.


	4. Chapter 3

While the nurse had said she could walk in small amounts, Jotaro had sentenced her to the bed and refused to help her get to school. Sneaking out of the house had ended badly, especially when Jotaro caught her hanging from a tree branch because she had tried climbing out the window. 

The result was him throwing her over his shoulder, before leaving her in a room with Joseph watching her. It wasn’t like she was couldn’t handle herself, but Jotaro had gotten very adamant about her not leaving his house yet. He kept her company after school, assisting with her homework before discussing different aspects of his interests with her. It was nice to grow closer but that also made him more adamant about keeping her safe, a kind gesture until it infringed upon her freedom. Oh well. 

 

“Why is he acting this way? I think I’m fine to be on my own now. I’m starting to think I’ve been kidnapped.” Her eyes flickered to Joseph who was sitting beside her. She had curled up as much as she could under the kotatsu, enjoying its heat compared to the winter air. Christmas would be coming soon, meaning her parents might actually come home to stay with her for the holidays. That would be amazing. 

“Jotaro has a reason for doing this. I’m sure he’s making you stay because he’s trying to make things right.” Joseph ruffled her hair, chuckling as she closed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks. “Just trust him, he’ll tell you what’s happening soon.” 

“I guess.” Atsuki glanced to the door as she heard it open, taking in the sight of a rather attractive boy. Joseph stood and smiled, reaching out to hug the man before him. 

“Kakyoin! Welcome back.” Atsuki watched them, face flushing as she examined him. Red slightly messy hair was placed on his head with a little floof in the front, and his clothes were tidy, showing his tendency to be proper. The two chatted but she zoned out, wondering how she could start a conversation without spiraling out of control. 

“Hello.” The boy glanced at her before speaking. Atsuki sat up quickly, smiling nervously. 

“Hello.” She muttered back, pausing to see if he would talk again. “My name is Atsuki.” 

She stood, wincing at the pain in her leg before holding out her bandaged hand. The boy hesitated before shaking it carefully, examining her wounded body with concern. 

“I’m Kakyoin, nice to meet you.” They both nodded, not knowing how to speak to each other past introductions. It was hard to socialize when the two people both dreaded talking. 

“How about I get us some tea?” Joseph left the room, leaving the atmosphere feeling awkward. Atsuki finally moved away to sit down, grasping one of her small sketch books to doodle. 

Kakyoin sat across from her, equally as confused about how to start a conversation. “So, how did you get those injuries?” Honey, you got a big storm coming. 

“Well, the girls at the school are obsessed with Jotaro and they think we’re sleeping together so … they shoved me and I cracked my knee open on a fountain, and now I’m here. I tried to leave but Jotaro is holding me hostage.” Her explanation led Kakyoin to blink, shock on his face as he studied her. 

“Well are you? You know, sleeping together? You don’t look like Jotaro’s type.” 

Atsuki snorted, drawing little cute figures on the paper. “No, and I don’t think I’m anyone’s type. Being small and … bigger has made many people target me for bullying. It sucks but I bear with it, it’s not like complaining will change anything.” It’s ridiculous how a tiny bit of chub makes people label you unattractive. 

The boy across from her frowned, looking toward the table. “Do you … like art?” He stared at the page, smiling slightly at her embarrassed response. 

“Yeah, I’m just really bad at it.” The sudden movement of him shifting to sit beside her caused her to tense and glance down. Unlike Jotaro, she felt nervous and more fidgety with him, most likely because she found him attractive. 

“Can I draw with you?” Instead of verbalizing her thoughts, she nodded as she handed him a pencil, happily doodling beside him. Their silence became comfortable and soon enough they began to talk actively. “Instead of trying to draw from scratch, try making an outline like this.” 

“Wow.” The amazement she felt was clear as she became mesmerized by his fluid movement of his palm. “You’re really cool, Kakyoin.” 

A deep flush slowly rose on his cheeks, and he found it hard to keep drawing with her warm, charming gaze on him. 

“Thanks, you should try.” Atsuki followed his instructions carefully, smiling anytime the boy would compliment her or lean closer to examine her drawing. 

“Hmm, it doesn’t look like I want it too.” Sadness lingered in her voice as she hid her work, ashamed at how it had turned out. 

“You’re learning, don’t let it get you down.” Kakyoin gently lifted the notebook, waiting for her to release it so he knew she was willing to show it to him. He barely managed to hold back a laugh as he examined the attempted portrait of himself. 

“See! It’s bad.” Kakyoin released his chuckle and looked to her. His eyes were not only too small but also too close together, and his nose was too big and hooked to look like him. At least she got the hair right. 

“It's adorable and really good for your first time.” A pout formed on her face as she looked at the disgrace she made on the page. 

“But you are so much more attractive than that.” Atsuki blubbered as she panicked, glancing away as she regretted her inability to censor herself. 

“Really? Thank you.” He smiled slightly, face pink from her words. Kakyoin stayed silent for a moment before taking her hand and squeezing it. “You know, just because you don’t think you’re attractive doesn’t mean you’re not. I think you are very cute.”

Fuck. A hot boy was complimenting her and her body was deciding to shut down because of it. Where was Joseph with the tea? It felt as if her brain short circuited as she mumbled out nearly incoherent words. 

“T-thanks … I’m glad there is someone who thinks so … all I ever hear are insults so it’s hard to feel … good.” Atsuki fidgeted, managing to look up at the man after a few moments. 

“We’ll just have to change that.” Instead of feeling tense and nervous, her stress melted away and she found herself comfortable as they returned to doodling. Love at first sight wasn’t something she believed in, but right now her heart ached when she looked at him so maybe it could be real. 

_________________________________

 

Over the span of a few hours, Kakyoin and Atsuki had managed to build a friendship as they discussed their lives and interests, even joking some about Jotaro. 

“Are you sure Jotaro doesn’t just have a crush on you? He doesn’t seem to like girls very much.” Her comment earned a snort from her companion as he shook his head. 

“I doubt that. At this rate, I don’t think he’ll end up with anybody since he’s so irritated all the time.” Kakyoin leaned back, stretching out beside Atsuki as they huddled by the kotatsu

“He’s a grumpy boy. I like him though, I hope he’ll want to be my friend one day.” The soft thud of her body next to him rang throughout the rather silent house, making her sigh as the grogginess caught up to her. 

“If he’s doing all of this for you, I’m sure he’ll be your friend if he isn’t already.” She flashed him a warm smile, yawning tiredly as she rolled on her side to face him. 

“I like you too, I hope you don’t mind being my friend as well.” 

“I would be honored.” The friendliness in his eyes made her body release the tension it was holding, and the sleepiness from the warmth overwhelmed her. 

“I’m glad …” She whispered before drifting off into a deep slumber. Kakyoin carefully lifted her head, placing a pillow under it to help her avoid getting a stiff neck.

It was peaceful in the room and he too found himself drifting off, his mind clearing of any stress he had felt before. 

_________________________________

 

Having Atsuki stay with him for the past three days hadn’t been as much of a nightmare as he had expected. Jotaro had prepared himself for her whining or being obnoxious, but all he received was rare chit chat and near silence. Most of the time, he caught her doodling or reading, not bothering him in the slightest. 

While it was nice to not have to deal with her, it bothered him that she was getting so close to his grandfather. He was old and annoying, why did she like talking to him that much? Jotaro was sure he was more interesting than that old fart but it’s not like he cared or anything. 

After the day he had, he would just be grateful to get home at this point. Fixing this shit had been more tedious than he thought but it’s what had to be done. A sigh of relief left him as he entered his house, strolling in to find Atsuki. Now that the situation was fixed, she could go back to school and then go home, making it so she was no longer his problem. 

Once he entered the living room, his body froze up, taking in the sight of Kakyoin and Atsuki snuggling together as they slept. What the hell? Why were they being so friendly? Without much thought, Jotaro dropped his bag to the floor, making sure the noise was loud enough to wake them up.

A slight yelp left Atsuki’s mouth as she bolted upright, only becoming stable once Kakyoin steadied her shoulders when he shifted behind her, standing abruptly as Jotaro appeared in his vision. 

“Jojo ….” Atsuki paused, seemingly waiting for her brain to function. “How was school?” 

“It was peachy.” His sentence made her raise a brow, and look back to Kakyoin with a flushed face. The boy seemed embarrassed himself but said nothing as sauntered to Jotaro’s side to speak with him. 

“Hey, I’m back so I’ll be coming to school starting tomorrow.” Kakyoin avoided the subject of his accidental snuggle session with Atsuki, instead opting to awkwardly guide Jotaro into another room. “So, how long have you known Atsuki? We’ve talked about your situation a little but I didn’t want to stress her out.” 

“She’s my classmate but the first time I spoke to her was a few days ago. I stopped her from getting hit by a car because some kids were messing with her. I settled the rumors so she should be okay to return to school.” He glanced towards the room he left her in, pondering how things would change once she went home. It had been … comfortable having her here. 

“I see. Do you think all of the bullying will stop? According to her it was happening before hand.” Jotaro gave a nod in affirmation as he sighed. 

“Yeah. I’ve witnessed it first hand.” Atsuki was an unfortunate target of individuals who just wanted to hurt people because they could. It pissed him off. 

The two returned to the room, watching as Atsuki placed some food and drinks on the table. “Jotaro, I made you some tea and rice balls. There should be enough for everyone though.”

Jotaro pushed ahead, sitting down beside her before Kakyoin could take the spot. He didn’t need them getting any closer than they already seemed. 

“Oh, thank you, Atsuki.” Kakyoin sat down on the other side, snagging some food from the plate. 

The grunt Jotaro released was how he expressed his gratitude, deciding thanking her verbally wasn’t necessary. The fact that she made these specifically for him made him feel weird, especially when Kakyoin began eating them as well. Atsuki grinned, her warm expression sweet and adorable when she glanced at the boy across the table. God no. She likes him. He grabbed one of the extra plates and threw some food on it, forcing it in front of her. 

“Eat.” His order was ignored as she glanced to him. 

“I’m okay, they are for you. I’m not hungry anyways.” A cringe escaped her as her stomach growled, and she looked away. 

“Well, they aren’t just for me anymore are they?” The salt in his voice was a little too prominent as he gave Kakyoin a side glance. “Now eat before I make you.” 

“Wow, kinky.” Her teasing caused the red head to choke on his tea, and Jotaro to flush slightly, tilting his hat down to hide it as best as he could. 

Atsuki began to eat slowly, earning the approval from Jotaro as she finished each one. Was she starving herself because of how people were treating her? His eyes traveled over her form, examining all of her features cautiously. She was short and had some stomach chub but it honestly made her even cuter. Atsuki was like an adorable freckled marshmallow that you just wanted to squeeze and cuddle, a thought Jotaro normally didn’t find himself having. 

A nice conversation soon started at the table, leading Jotaro to relax and speak up every so often. It was weird having a girl like Kakyoin over him, and he hated the way it was making him feel. He wasn’t really jealous but more shocked. If it was any girl other than Atsuki, he wouldn’t care because they were annoying, but he didn’t want her being all love struck. The last thing he needed was the one decent girl he knew to be ruined by a crush. 

The yawn that escaped her was noticed quickly by both boys, leading them to awkwardly lock eyes as they both stood. “I got it.” Jotaro bent down and grasped her by the armpits, lifting her to her feet carefully. 

“I’m not a child.” The whine made him roll his eyes as he led her to his room, ignoring any protests. Since his grandfather was taking the guest room and they had Kakyoin over, it would be better to keep her here since it was warm. The heat in other portions of the house was still not functioning, making it so half of the rooms were too cold to stay in for extended periods. Maybe Kakyoin could room with Joseph while the repair team focused on fixing the issue at hand. His attention shifted as the limp in her walk made her hiss and he frowned at her pained face. 

“Lay down.” He pointed to his bed, making her pause. After the first night, she surrendered the futon to Joseph because of his back, leaving her to rather sleep on the small comforter with Jotaro or suffer on the floor.

“No, you should sleep here.” She argued. 

“You didn’t have any problem sleeping with Kakyoin so it shouldn’t be an issue sleeping with me.” He threw down some extra blankets, trying to not seem as irritated as he felt. Why was it so irritating? Was it because all of her attention went to Kakyoin instead of him? While she talked to Joseph frequently, she had been focused on him the past few days. He’d come home to her with food or sit with her to relax and talk while they did homework. Her soft blue eyes would observe him and she would listen silently, smiling as he talked about various things. He had expressed his interest in marine biology, a topic he thought she would tease him about. To his surprise, she happily accepted it and would listen to any facts or information he would give, a refreshing change compared to others. Atsuki would pose questions, allowing him to ramble out explanations and facts about all sorts of marine animals. Jotaro actually found himself looking forward to their exchanges, especially when it included her interested inquiries and grins. 

“Phrasing man.” The blush that spread on her face made him sigh as he set up their bedding. “It was an accident that we fell asleep, it was nice though.” 

“I bet.” He grumbled, taking her arm gently, despite his grumpiness, before carefully leading her to the ground. Jotaro kneeled down with her, wrapping a blanket around her before fluffing the pillow behind her. 

“You’re such a dad.” The scowl he gave made her giggle and nuzzle the pillow happily. 

“Shut up, I don’t need you getting sick so I’m making sure you won’t. If you fall ill you’ll be stuck here longer.” Atsuki nodded, yawning tiredly as she tried to hide her smirk. 

Jotaro slid off his jacket and grasped his night wear, refusing to call them pajamas. Without consideration for her feelings, he began to undress, making her squeak and hide her face. 

“You could’ve warned me!” Nervousness was in her voice as she hid her gaze, making Jotaro grin slyly. 

“I just assumed you wouldn’t be a pervert.” His statement made her scoff and swallow roughly, resisting the urge to peek. “I’m done.” 

Atsuki slowly poked her head out, much like an ostrich removing their head from the sand. Her eyes followed her friend as he crawled in the blankets beside her, closing his eyes right away. 

“Goodnight.” Was all she whispered before she allowed herself to drift off into her dreams. As soon as her breathing evened out and sleep overtook her, Jotaro rolled on his side to stare at her face. Why was he so overwhelmed by her? She wasn’t that special and all she has done is make problems for him. Well, it’s more like he had caused problems for her. She didn’t do anything to deserve what was happening to her. He lightly touched her cheek, enthralled at the way she nuzzled his hand joyfully. Slowly, he let his hand drift to the floor beside her as his mind swirled. He felt drawn to her and he didn’t know why. Well, the best thing to do now was to ignore it and focus on something else. Jotaro let his eyes fall shut, sleep overtaking him as he pondered his feelings.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it is a little out of character. I hope even if the portrayal isn’t perfect that you guys can still enjoy it! Let me know your thoughts and suggestions. Might be making a separate story for some one shots!

The walk to school in the morning was excruciating, partly because her knee was throbbing and partly because it was freezing and she had no winter coat at Jotaro’s. Atsuki did her best to avoid limping, not wanting the two boys beside her to become concerned about her struggle. Jotaro had offered her his coat but she turned it down, not wanting to be seen walking around in his clothing. 

“Atsuki, would you like some help?” Kakyoin reached out, offering his hand and support. 

“Oh, y-yeah.” This was it her chance to start getting close to him! Before she could grasp his hand, Jotaro tugged her close and glared at her.

“Don’t make him help you.” He shifted her weight, making it so less pressure was on her knee. Atsuki groaned internally, pissed that Jotaro cockblocked her completely. What the hell?

“You probably shouldn’t be near me, everyone will freak out again.” Jotaro ignored her movements to pull away, keeping his other hand in his pocket as they moved.

“Don’t worry about that, no one will bother you.” The fact that he sounded so sure worried her. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Atsuki came to a stop despite Jotaro trying to step forward. 

A tall girl with flowy straight black hair, green eyes, and pale skin stood before the steps, posture straight and face serious. She wore a fancy white coat with a black uniform underneath. On her shoulder hung a large ebony bag stuffed full of something. 

“Katsumi?” Her words made the girl turn, eyes narrowing as she began to walk towards her, arms swinging stiffly. Atsuki pulled away from Jotaro, to greet her happily, smiling as her friend approached. 

Before she was able to express her excitement, a strong hand met her cheek, nearly knocking her over as she grasped her face in shock. The other girl’s chest heaved as she stood still, stance lingering in the slapping position as she watched her. Katsumi reached out, yanking Atsuki into her arms and squeezing her close. She pressed her face into her neck before running her hands over Atsuki’s body fondly, seemingly trying to make sure she was there. 

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Her voice cracked slightly as she held her close. Katsumi finally pulled back, unzipping the bag as she began removing clothing from it. The girl immediately forced her into a jacket, huffing in frustration. 

“What? Why are you here?” Atsuki didn’t question the fact that Katsumi had started dressing her in the clothing, instead trying to understand why she had been slapped. 

“Because you’re hurt.” The girl motioned to her knee dramatically before snagging Atsuki’s hand to shove a mitten on it. “You don’t take care of yourself either.” 

Katsumi yanked a hat over Atsuki’s ears, finalizing her look with a fluffy scarf. “There, you shouldn’t be out in this weather with no winter clothing.” 

“Well, normally I would have some but … it’s complicated.” A strong hand rested on her shoulder, causing her to glance up to see Jotaro and Kakyoin behind her, seemingly on edge. The slap must not have set well with them. 

“I see.” She paused, looking at the boys before choosing to ignore them. “You need to tell me who hurt you, everyone who has been hurting you.” 

“Katsumi, don’t worry, I’m okay now and you shouldn’t be focusing on me. How did you find out I got hurt anyways?” Katsumi smiled slightly, crossing her arms. 

“I know everything that happens. I can’t be near you but that doesn’t mean I can’t have someone else watching.” For most, katsumi’s words would seem creepy and concerning but Atsuki understood her well enough to understand her actions. 

“So you stalk her?” Jotaro pulled Atsuki away, hold becoming more tense and protective. 

“No, stalking is what what a creep with ill intent does, I have no ill intentions, only good ones.” Katsumi smacked Jotaro’s hand away and pulled her over, ignoring the irritation on his face. “Thank you for delivering her here safely, you are no longer needed though.” 

“Katsumi, they are my friends.” Atsuki mumbled, knowing that the girl was too upset to listen. 

“They are boys. Boys are stupid and annoying, you shouldn’t be near them.” Venom was laced in her words as she glanced back, irritated that the two continued to follow them. “I’m going to be staying with you today. My high school thinks I’m here on official business as a student council member so I am allowed to shadow you to evaluate the school.” 

“That’s a lot of work for you.” Atsuki frowned, nearly running into the girl as she stopped and turned. 

“Maybe, But you’re worth it.” Katsumi’s hand stroked her cheek, brushing her thumb over the spot where she hit her. “You’re always worth it.” 

“Am I-“ 

“First evaluation, terrible choice for entrance. Any students who can’t walk or are injured would not be able to get to school.” Katsumi wrote her thoughts down in a notebook before she turned to Atsuki. “I can carry you up the stairs.” 

“No, the last thing we need is to fall down them.” Before Katsumi could respond, Jotaro lifted Atsuki off the ground by her armpits, easily carrying her up. 

“I got it.” He uttered, sending a challenging glance at the girl before moving on. She knew Jotaro wanted to help but was also aware that he did this just to spite the other girl. 

“This is embarrassing.” Atsuki wiggled, earning a pissy threat of being dropped down the stairs from Jotaro. 

Surprisingly, no one glared at her or whispered about the situation that was happening, only glancing their way curiously. Carefully, Jotaro set her down at the top, holding her shoulders to steady her. 

Katsumi showed no shame as she shoved Jotaro aside to grasp Atsuki’s arm and lead her away. No boys would have her, not on her watch. 

_______________________________

 

Jotaro and Kakyoin had been left behind, unable to keep up with Katsumi as she dragged around Atsuki. Oh well, at least she would be safe with her. After doing a little research and asking around, Jotaro found out that Katsumi came from a very rich family who owned companies that designed new technology as well as several security companies. The girl was the top of her class at that all girl school she attended, and she was proper and strict, known for being ruthless to those who acted out. What a scary woman. 

Jotaro glanced over at Atsuki, watching the way the girls swarmed her. He had made plenty of threats, making it clear that if they tried to hurt her there would be consequences. 

“We’re so sorry for what happened, we never should have done that.” The girls bowed and Atsuki sighed. 

“It’s okay, but, you can never do something like that to anyone ever again. Even if I had been with Jotaro, that’s no excuse to hurt anyone.” They nodded at her words, looking towards the ground. She didn’t want more drama and rejecting their apology would cause it. It still pissed her off that they lashed out because they were obsessed with Jotaro, but she could forgive them. They were young and didn’t understand the consequences, and she was realistic enough to push what happened aside. 

“And what are your names?” Katsumi pulled out her notebook and waited patiently, frowning as Atsuki forced her to put it away. 

“Thank you for the apology, you guys can go now.” Once excused, they hurried away to avoid causing any issues that could upset Jotaro. 

Atsuki glanced to him, eyes thankful and warm as she examined him. Jotaro quickly looked away, pulling his hat down to hide his face so she wouldn’t see his smile. The last thing he needed was her thinking he liked her. 

_________________________________

 

When lunch time rolled around, Atsuki managed to escape katsumi’s side and make it to the art club’s room to relax alone. She didn’t really feel like going by the fountain after what happened last time and it had become too cold. Heck, it was too cold the first day she fell asleep out there, she was just too stubborn to admit it. Thankfully, Holly had made her a lunch since she wasn’t at home to make one for herself, meaning she actually had a variety of good food to eat today. The art club room was basically always empty since they had a separate space for their activities, so the leader of the club said she could rest here anytime. 

“I found you.” Her eyes drifted upwards toward the door, landing on Jotaro. 

“Hey, I just wanted to eat somewhere quiet.” She stated, as she sat on one of their couches. The room was tidy with multiple desks for drawing and a few leather couches for their meetings about events like the school festivals. 

Jotaro approached her and bent down, examining the bandages on her knee. “After lunch, lets go to the nurse so she can make sure your leg is healing fine.” 

“I’ll be okay, Jotaro. I’ve been cleaning it when I change the bandages.” Atsuki looked at him as she ate her food, examining his serious expression. That was slightly a lie. The wound made her squeamish so she would throw some peroxide on it and wrap it up so quickly that it was never done properly.

“I wasn’t asking your opinion.” He stated as he sat down beside her, causing Atsuki to slide against him because of the weight difference. “So, where’s Katsumi?” 

“She has to go speak with the principal. She ended up having a list full of things she thinks needs to change.” Atsuki’s eating slowed and she looked away shyly. Eating in front of people made her self conscious, especially because she was often tormented because of her size. 

“I see.” Jotaro had taken out his own lunch, giving her a side glance as she shied away. “Why are you acting all shy now? We’ve eaten together before.” 

Atsuki cringed, sighing out loudly. “I just … being back here reminded me of what everyone said and now … eating with others just bothers me. I feel like I’ll be judged.” Her saddened eyes found the ground as she poked at her food, uncertain if she wanted to finish her meal. 

“Good grief, don’t be afraid of that. What they say doesn’t matter, only what you believe does.” Jotaro’s words made her smile. 

“Wow, thank you for responding so nicely.” The boy rolled his eyes as he started eating, glad to have to two of them relaxing in silence again. 

“Jotaro?” Kakyoin opened the door and smiled as he stepped inside. “Oh, both of you are here.” 

“Kakyoin! Hey, come eat with us.” Atsuki patted the couch a little too enthusiastically as her heart exploded with excitement. This would be perfect. The redhead plopped down on the opposite side of her, smiling as she looked at him longingly. 

“I wasn’t expecting you guys to be eating in one of the club rooms. The art club members said I should look here though.” He removed his food from his bag and began to eat. 

“I like eating in less crowded places so here is nice.” Atsuki placed her dish down on the table, leaning back into the cushions as she abandoned her food. 

“So, how do you know this Katsumi girl?” Kakyoin muttered. “She seems rather … brash.” 

“We went to middle school together until she moved away. Her strict personality made it so not many people liked her but I stuck it out and we became close. She’s always been an amazing friend to me.” A soft smile formed on her face and she touched the bow she would wear in her hair. “She was the one that got me my first bow.” 

“She has good taste, they look cute on you.” Kakyoin’s words made her grin and avert her gaze, catching the sight of Jotaro’s disgusted face. Obviously, he didn’t appreciate their flirty banter. 

“A-Anyways, are you guys excited for the school festival? The art club has been working on decorations for the events and I heard the drama club is building a set for a play.” Atsuki looked to Kakyoin. “You should join the art club, I think you’d be an amazing edition.” 

“Really? I’ll have to think about it.” Kakyoin glanced to Jotaro who grunted. 

“School festivals are annoying. They force you to do things you don’t want to do and then you have to work your ass off for free.” He finished his food and threw down his bento box. “I’ll probably skip that day.” 

“Oh, okay.” Atsuki tried to hide her disappointment at his words, looking to Kakyoin instead. “I think my home room won the maid cafe theme, meaning we might be one of the most busy places.”  
Of course her class had to get stuck with the most stereotypical event possible but it would still be fun to do. 

“Are you going to be a server?” Atsuki shook her head at his question. 

“I think I’m the last person they’d put in a dress. I guess that’s better though, we need the pretty students to be serving. They’ll have a few male maids too so at least it’ll be even.” She shrugged and stretched, wincing at her knee. “Will you come and see me if they do make me a server though?” 

“Alright, it’s time to see the nurse.” Jotaro stood, pulling her up to walk with him. 

“No, it’s time to sit with Kakyoin to eat lunch.” Both of their eyes narrowed, leading them into a intense staring session. 

“You don’t seem to be eating lunch right now, do you?” Atsuki scowled and looked away. She knew Jotaro could be a jerk but why was he being such a douche? 

“Jotaro, if you don’t want to stay, I can take her after I’m done.” Kakyoin spoke up, trying to defuse the weird situation before him. 

“No, I’ll go now.” Atsuki sent Kakyoin a smile before hurrying out with Jotaro. After they were a few paces away, she came to a stop. “Why are you being so pushy?” 

“Pushy? I’m trying to make sure nothing is wrong.” Jotaro glanced down at her knee, watching her as she shifted nervously. 

“I’m fine though. It just seems like you’re trying to rush me or get me away from Kakyoin.” Her gasp made Jotaro tense, glancing around anxiously as she gripped his arms. “You’re jealous because you’re in love with Kakyoin!” 

“What!? No!” Jotaro’s horrified tone was disregarded as the girl smiled. Atsuki took his hand and squeezed it, staring into his eyes. 

“You don’t need to deny it, I’ll support you no matter what.” Jotaro scoffed and ripped his hand away, grasping her wrist tightly as he began to lead her away. 

“Just shut up already.” The rest of her excited commentary was ignored as Jotaro brought her to the nurse, forcing her to sit like she was a child in time out. 

“Alright, Ms. Kida, depending on how your knee looks, I may be able to estimate when we can take the stitches out.” The nurse’s talking made her calm and focus on something other than Jotaro’s apparent love for Kakyoin, something the boy was thankful for. 

Atsuki felt nausea slowly overcoming her as she saw the wound, causing her to panic and latch on to Jotaro’s hand. “I’m … Uhh … uh ..” the paling of her face was enough to explain her situation, and Jotaro quickly sat down beside her, placing a comforting hand on her back as he intertwined their fingers. 

Atsuki exhaled and closed her eyes, leaning her face into Jotaro’s shoulder to ease away the disruption in her stomach. Anytime she wasn’t forced to clean her knee on her own, she had Jotaro’s mom help her and she made Joseph hold her hand. It was embarrassing so she asked them not to tell Jotaro how bad she was with injuries, worrying he’d think she was weak because of it. 

“Okay, you’re all good, sweetie, please stay as long as you need to feel better. It looks like you’ll be able to get them out in a few more days. It’s healing well so just keep taking care of it and you should be fine.” The nurse tied the bandages before leaving the room, allowing Atsuki to recompose herself.

“Oh thank god.” She exhaled as she wiped away some sweat and leaned back, becoming aware of how Jotaro’s hand strengthened on her side. 

“Better?” His voice was gentle as his blue eyes stayed locked on her face, watching as it slowly began to regain color. 

“Yeah, I just need a second to relax.” Jotaro hummed as he scooted her over, letting her lean against him to calm down. One arm stayed wrapped around her protectively while his other tilted his hat down to cover his face. Atsuki’s eyes fluttered shut as a peaceful atmosphere surrounded them, creating a comfortable silence as they laid against each other. The feeling of his body against hers made her relax, his scent lowering her anxiety to help the tension in her muscles.

The sound of the bell startled her, making her pull away from jotaro and stand quickly, nearly falling over as she blinked. 

“Well, time for class.” 

_________________________________

 

Katsumi had her fingers intertwined with Atsuki’s as they left the school, smiling as she saw Atsuki snuggle into her new winter coat and scarf. 

“So, I’m going to take you out to eat tonight.” She stated, her grip tightening as she sent a glare towards Jotaro and Kakyoin as they were descending the stairs. 

“Oh, where did you want to go? I don’t have a lot of money so-“ Atsuki was cut off as Katsumi pressed her finger to her lips. 

“It’s cute you assumed I would let you pay for yourself.” Katsumi ignored the pout she received and pulled her friend along, careful to not put stress on her knee. 

Of course, since Katsumi was extra, she got them into a restaurant that Atsuki could never dream of affording on her own. Their meal was amazing and incredibly fancy compared to the cup ramen she would eat at home. Their time together was great and something Atsuki didn’t know she needed until they were giggling and walking home with crepes. 

“I miss you.” Katsumi took her hand once again, squeezing it as she nibbled on her treat, thankful the cold air made an excuse for her blush. 

“I miss you too. It’s been so lonely without you guys around.” Atsuki ate her strawberries from the top of her crepe, ignoring the whipped cream she smeared on her face. 

“How … how would you feel about moving in with me? I know you would have to move but you’ll be safe there.” Katsumi stopped outside of Atsuki’s house, keeping hold on their hands. 

“I could never make it into your school! I’m not as smart as you are.” Atsuki glanced to the side, her breath creating small puffs of smoke from the cold air. 

“I could give a recommendation and tutor you. It will be healthier for you and there are no boys that would be able to bother you.” Katsumi set her half finished crepe aside on an outside table, her full attention on Atsuki’s shy expression. 

“What do you have against boys?” Her joking was cut short by Katsumi’s serious strict expression. 

“They are useless and only cause issues. You would be better off with me.” Atsuki raised her eyebrow curiously, confused at her friend’s wording. 

“Katsumi, I would love to move in with you but I can’t just drop everything and leave.” Atsuki paused, as she thought of what to say. “Life is more complicated than that.”

“But it doesn’t have to be! I can take care of you, I can take away the pain.” Her green eyes shook, as she stepped closer, making Atsuki crane her neck to look at her. 

“I’ll … think about it. Don’t feel like you have to fix my life … it’s not your responsibility.” The whisper she let out made the other girl smile and gently grasp Atsuki’s face. 

“I wouldn’t mind it becoming mine.” Katsumi’s words trailed off as she pressed her lips to Atsuki’s mouth, holding her close as she pressed their foreheads together. The crepe Atsuki had in her palm fell to the concrete as her eyes widened in shock, splattering in a chocolate mess. 

Regrettably, Katsumi parted from her, staring into her eyes lovingly. “No matter what you choose, I’ll support you completely. My goal is to protect you and keep you happy, if being with someone other than me means that, so be it.” 

Atsuki stood there in shock, unable to speak as the other woman pulled away and disappeared into a car that had arrived for her. “Goodbye, Atsuki.”


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, there is some violence in this chapter and moments of depression. 
> 
> I don’t know how I feel about this chapter. I kept editing it but it still doesn’t feel as good as I want it. I finally just settled for this. I hope you guys like it!

Atsuki was ecstatic when the nurse finally removed her stitches, clearing her for any activities to do with the festival. Since she was able to walk normally again, Atsuki could finally start helping out with their decorations and rearrangements, happy when she actually began to bond with some of the other girls. 

“Atsuki, we need probably six maids, three girls and three boys, for each shift. I figured we’d have two hosts in case it is busy, and those who are left will be preparing the drinks and snacks.” The girl beside her, better known as Haruhi, smiled as she glanced to her friend. “Makoto will be the one tailoring the outfits to each person, so you should talk to her about yours.” 

“Oh, are the people preparing the food wearing a uniform too? I thought people weren’t going to see them.” Her confusion sparked some chuckles and devious smirks. 

“You’re going to be a maid. You’re very cute, so putting you in an outfit like that will make us extra popular! Remember, there are other people than just our students attending.” As Makoto spoke, she walked behind Atsuki, beginning to measure her from where she sat, sliding up her glasses to make sure she was getting each measurement right.

“Guys, I don’t know … I’m … wouldn’t you want someone more popular doing it? We can make more money that way.” Atsuki said nothing as she was dragged from her chair, groaning as the other girl wrapped the measuring tape around her body. 

“Well, we have two shifts so a lot of people will be here already. You can be pretty charming so I figured you’d be amazing for the part.” Haruhi stood, pushing her short brown hair behind her ears as she skipped over to Atsuki, grasping her shoulders. “You’ll be amazing!” 

“Plus, if you’re here, Jotaro should come too! If he’s here, that means his crazy fan girls will come. We’ll be making big bucks.” One of the boys who had been designing their menu spoke up, face pumped. 

“Jotaro didn’t seem like he wanted to come the day of the festival. We can’t rely on him showing up for our success anyways.” Atsuki warned, spreading out her arms so Makoto could measure her waist. 

“We don’t need Jotaro to be successful. I’m sure things will work out fine without him.” Haruhi’s grin brought a wave of reassurance over the group, and everyone began to chat happily again. This was nice. The environment felt safe and warm, something she wasn’t quite used to feeling at school. A smile dawned on her face as she looked at their plans. This would be fun. 

_________________________________

 

“Kakyoin!” Atsuki skipped up to the two boys, grinning as she stopped in front of them. “I’m going to be working the morning shift as a maid during the festival! You should come see me. Oh, but it’s okay if you don’t want to, don’t feel pressured.” 

The girl shied away slightly, her smile returning when Kakyoin ruffled her hair. “I think I can do that.” 

“I put in a request to have some cherry desserts for you.” The excitement in kakyoin’s eyes made her heart leap, and she found herself unable to look away from the attractive man. Jotaro scowled and shifted, letting a small scoff leave his mouth as he began to walk away. 

“Shut up already.” Jotaro hissed as he disappeared around the corner.

Kakyoin glanced up, confusion on his face as he watched the man go. “Thank you, Atsuki, I’m going to see what’s wrong with grumpy but we can talk more later.” 

Atsuki watched on in concern, uncertain at why Jotaro was so pissed. He said he wasn’t coming to the festival so she figured he’d shoot her down if she asked him to attend. A feeling of worry entered her chest as her heart sank, leaving her stunned and confused about whatever she had done wrong. Atsuki had grown to consider him a friend but maybe he truly didn’t like her and was getting annoyed. The thought made it hard to breath as she swallowed roughly, sighing out in frustration at his hard to read attitude. As badly as she wanted to run after them to clear up his response, she was too busy to just leave. Reluctantly, she returned to her classroom to finish up her plans, hoping she’d finish in time to catch up to them.

_________________________________

When her meeting with her class ended, Atsuki immediately bolted from the room and hurried out, her mind swirling with all the possible ways she could apologize. Did she really have to apologize? It didn’t seem like she did anything wrong but she didn’t want there to be tension between her and Jotaro. It took her a few minutes to reach his house, sighing out tiredly as she entered, knowing that Holly would scold her if she knocked. To her, she was basically part of their family and that made her happier than they would ever know. 

Atsuki approached the room where she heard chatter, stopping as the conversation began to peak her interest. “You’re still learning about your stand, and you’re progress is amazing. I think you will master it soon enough and we’ll be able to face whoever is doing this.” 

Doing this? What was happening? She hadn’t seen anything abnormal happening around town or school. Was someone targeting their family? 

“We haven’t made any progress finding the people who killed those civilians and they haven’t tried to fight us directly. If we can’t find them or their stands, how are we supposed to win?” Kakyoin’s words were concerned and stressed, a tone she had never heard him use before. 

People were killed? She hadn’t heard about it. What were these stands they were talking about? Should she leave and pretend she never heard anything? Atsuki turned, expecting to leave to avoid eavesdropping further only to be stopped as Jotaro stepped out through the other door, blocking her way. 

“Oh, hi … I came to apologize for whatever I did to upset you.” Atsuki averted her gaze, hoping he wouldn’t notice her nervousness. His face softened slightly before hardening again, not hesitating to grab her wrist and pull her in near everyone. 

“Atsuki, what are you doing here?” Joseph asked, his face anxious as he looked between them. 

“I …” She was cut off as Jotaro had her sit, making her stay beside him as he cleared his throat. 

“Someone was listening in.” Jotaro grumbled, giving her an irritated side glance. 

“I wasn’t trying to … but … what is happening? Are people getting hurt?” She looked between them, face full of confusion. “What are stands?” They exchanged glances, before sighing and focusing on her. 

“Here we go.” 

_________________________________

 

Atsuki sat there in shock, trying to decide if what they said was real or if they were all just crazy. If stands were a real thing, maybe everything Joseph told her was true too. If it was, maybe he could help train her so she wasn’t as susceptible to bullying. Their explanation was confusing but she was more concerned at the fact that people had been mindlessly attacking each other, trying to kill whoever they saw. It was scary what stands could do. She learned that only people who had stands could see them, which might be a reason she had never noticed them before. 

“Just because we told you this does not mean you can be involved. The last thing we need is you getting hurt.” Jotaro frowned when she didn’t respond, deciding to grab her chin to force her to look at him. “Listen to me. You can’t get involved. You’re not strong enough to hold your own.” 

“But … what if I can help? It sounds like you need all the help you can get.” Jotaro’s expression was serious, his conviction not changing just because she argued. 

“He’s right, Atsuki. You’ll just be in danger if you try to help.” Joseph’s words were stern but more gentle than Jotaro’s, earning a nod from Kakyoin. 

“I know. If I can’t help my friends though … what’s the point? I don’t mind dying if-“ Jotaro snagged her shoulders, forcefully turning her towards him. 

“You are weak, Atsuki. You will just be a nuisance who will get in the way. The best way to help is to stay out of it because we don’t need a distraction when we are fighting. You may think you’re strong, but you are useless when it comes to this, don’t act like you’ll be able to do it. You can’t.” Jotaro growled out his words, anger obvious in his face. 

“Jotaro!” Joseph stood, eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists. He was right but there was no reason to act like that, especially to his friend. 

“He’s right, Atsuki. His phrasing is rude and barbaric but …” Kakyoin’s face was serious, not happy with Jotaro’s choice of words but he agreed completely. 

Atsuki felt numb as tears dropped down her cheeks, splattering to the ground softly. Crying in front of others was something she despised but his words felt like she had gone through a mortal kombat fatality. Accepting her shortcomings was hard, especially when it meant she had to back down from helping those she loved. Her eyes met Jotaro’s, reflecting all of the pain and sadness his words had brought. Silence filled the room as she slapped away his arms and shoved him aside, grasping her bag as she stood and stormed out. It was true but … she didn’t care. If she died for them, she wouldn’t care. Her thoughts spiraled as she stumbled along, her motivation to keep pushing forward disappearing. Atsuki knew she was overreacting but she was already so close to the edge, so close to breaking, that his words shoved her off causing her to shatter as she hit the ground. 

The world had become dark, night time descending upon them as she avoided going home, opting for sitting on a swing in the park. What should she do? She cared about them but she didn’t know how she could face them again. 

A loud gurgling hiss made her stand quickly, glancing around to find the noise. Shock spread through her as her eyes landed on a human like creature standing before her. They must be who Joseph was talking about. Normally, she would run, try her best to escape the monster before her, but she didn’t.

The creature’s mouth slowly opened, their jaw stretching and popping as rows of teeth flared outward, bulging and throbbing like an animal struggling as it was being digested by a snake. It’s skin hung down, sagging on the skeletal figure trapped within. It appeared as if someone had flayed off a human’s skin, sewing it back together to create a human like suit to look normal. Their eyes were hollowed out, completely black with no sign of actual eyeballs inside. It was horrifying as it trudged towards her, moans of pain corrupted by some scratchy inhuman noise. She couldn’t move, numb as she watched it move closer, not flinching as it leaned close to her face. 

The creature grabbed her, knocking her to the ground as it stabbed it’s sharp pointed fingers into her shoulder, receiving no response. The pain wasn’t there. She felt nothing. How funny. Jotaro shut her out so she wouldn’t get hurt and now she was going to die. Her blue eyes had lost their shine, focusing on the snow that gracefully fluttered down from the sky. The creature seemed to pause, staring into her dead eyes in confusion. It screeched, seemingly deciding she’d be better as a snack than alive. 

Atsuki closed her eyes, acceptance filling her as she felt its claws ripping into her side as it aimed its teeth as her throat. A sound of pain rang out before silence filled the air, the world around her becoming peaceful as nothing but the snow could be heard. Two hands slid under her body, carefully lifting her up. 

“I know your pain. You are spared from this suffering, you can relax now.” The voice was distorted but comforting, sounding before a relaxing melody filled the space around her. She was unable to open her eyes, as the man carried her, instead drifting in and out of consciousness from apparent blood loss. Strangely enough, she felt no pain or cold air, just warmth and ease as she slowly nodded off. 

_________________________________

When Atsuki awoke, a doctor and a police officer stood beside her, offering her a comforting smile as they touched her shoulder. 

“Hello, Ms, Kida, you’ve been hospitalized because you were attacked. We’ve tried to find an emergency contact for you but can’t find anyone. Do you have someone who can come to stay with you?” The doctor waited patiently for her response, trying her best to make sure Atsuki felt safe. Her mind traveled to Jotaro and his family before her parents, knowing she couldn’t contact either of them. 

“No, I have no one.”


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments with thoughts and suggestions :)

Three days had passed and Jotaro had started getting restless. Atsuki hadn’t shown up to school and there were no signs of her at her house either, meaning she had disappeared without a trace. The image of her pained, betrayed face was burnt into his mind, causing him to feel overcome with guilt. At first they assumed she needed space, ignoring her absence because they respected her decision to stay away. The second day concerned them, leading him and Kakyoin to go investigate her house to find it empty. They expected to have Joseph use his stand to find her when they got home, but he had been out of town, leaving them nervous about what could’ve happened. Now that the third day rolled around, Jotaro had lost all focus on everything else, barely managing to go to class. The only reason he went was because of the hope he had that she would attend and everything would be solved. 

“Mr. Nakamaru! The festival is coming up and Atsuki hasn’t shown up for days, do you know what’s happening?” Haruhi rose, eyes nervous. “We haven’t been able to reach her and you haven’t been calling her name during attendance. Please, we need to know.” 

Jotaro snapped his attention to the front, holding back his urge to go up there and get the information himself. The round of ‘yeahs’ made the man sigh, scratching his head. 

“I’m not supposed to tell you but … it may be better if you know.” He leaned on his podium and looked at his students. “She’s in the hospital recovering. I don’t know exactly what happened but it appears to be serious.” 

The whole class went silent, faces concerned for their small classmate. Jotaro didn’t hesitate as he left the room, ignoring the teacher’s calls as he left a note for Kakyoin at his locker. If he tried to yank him out of class, the teacher may catch him and they’d have issue. Why the hell didn’t she call them? Jotaro gritted his teeth as he hurried along, knowing the hospital was nearly all the way across town. What a pain.

_________________________________

Atsuki sighed as she leaned into her pillows, wincing at her wounds. The wound on her shoulder was sore but the wound on her side was excruciating anytime she moved. When the police asked her what happened, she explained that she was attacked by a criminal and they were scared away by the man who brought her here. They would think she was insane if she told them the truth and that was the last thing she needed. 

“Uh, Ms. Kida, a visitor is-“ the nurse was cut off as Jotaro pushed his way in, ignoring everyone who had tried to stop him. 

Atsuki panicked as she heard a doctor talking about getting security, a situation that would not end well for anyone. 

“No, no, it’s okay. He’s my friend. Can you shut the door please?” Reluctantly, the staff left, leaving them alone to talk. Atsuki opened her mouth to speak but was immediately cut off, when Jotaro glared at her. 

“Why the fuck did you not call us?” His tone made her flinch and look away, trying to avoid answering his question. “Look at me!” 

“Why do you care Jotaro? Why?! I’m useless remember? Why would I call someone who thinks I’m a nuisance?! Why would I impede on your life when you already consider me a problem?! Don’t come in here and act upset when you were the one who pushed me away! You wanted me to stay out of it, so I am.” Tears filled her eyes as she yelled, her expression pained and lonely as she curled in on herself. 

Jotaro clenched his fists as he approached her, hesitantly sitting beside her on the bed so he could wrap his arm around her protectively. Atsuki glanced up at him, shocked by his gentle expression as he brushed away her tears. 

“You’re such a stupid girl. All I wanted was to keep you safe by making sure you didn’t try to get involved with the fighting.” He turned away. “I was too blunt and rude but … I knew you were too stubborn to listen if I didn’t make it clear … so, I’m sorry.” 

“What?” Atsuki’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you just say?” 

“Shut up, I’m not saying it again.” He grumbled, glancing back to her. “What happened? Why are you here?” 

“Oh … well, I think one of those things you guys were talking about attacked me. Some dude saved me though. I didn’t get a good look at him but … his touch was so soothing and his body was warm. If he killed something like that without a gun, he probably has a stand, right?” Atsuki felt Jotaro tense as he frowned, a conflicted expression on his face. 

“Maybe, let’s not assume anything for now. Where did it attack you?” Jotaro’s question made her cough and avoid his gaze, knowing he’d be pissed at her answer. 

“ At the park.” Her voice could barely be heard, leading Her friend to gently turn her chin towards him. 

“Come again?” His expectant expression made her groan. 

“At the park, I was at the park.” Atsuki left out the fact that she had basically accepted her death, knowing that would upset him more. 

“Were you trying to die? Who sits at a park in the middle of the night?” Atsuki rolled her eyes and switched the topic, lifting his arm he had wrapped around her. 

“Someone’s being sentimental today.” Her teasing led him to pull away his limb before gently pushing her down on the bed. The bandages under her gown peeked out as her shirt shifted, causing him to grasp it. Jotaro had no shame as he lifted her shirt slightly, examining the massive amount of gauze taped to her side. 

“Hey!” She slapped at his hand whining when he caught her wrists with one palm to hold her still. 

“Oh calm down, I’m just looking at the wound you little shit.” Atsuki flushed as she tried to hold down the other section of her shirt, tensing as he touched her side to feel it. 

“Jotaro you pervert!” Kakyoin frowned as he stepped in, slapping away the boy’s hands before covering her back up. “You can’t just go lifting girls’ shirts!” 

The scowl he gave Kakyoin was filled with irritation and frustration. “I was looking to see the damage. That wound was huge. It’s not like I was ripping off her clothes.” He moved away from the bed, allowing Kakyoin to take his place. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I didn’t know until I received the note. He must’ve left me behind so he could be a perv and take advantage of you.” He sent a glare at the man, receiving an eye roll as he looked away. 

“I’m fine, I trust Jotaro. I just … am self conscious about my body.” Silence fell in the room after her words, leading Kakyoin to touch her hand gently. 

“I think it’s adorable. There’s more to love.” Kakyoin’s words made her let out a nervous unattractive snort before she hid her face. 

“Who’s the pervert now? Talking about her body.” Jotaro grumbled, watching her slowly die from embarrassment. 

After a few minutes of summarizing the information to Kakyoin, she leaned back, relaxing as he subconsciously played with her hair. Over the time since she got her stitches out, she joined the art club with Kakyoin and ended up going out on a few projects with him. They had grown close during that period, so close that she had become comfortable with him touching her and eating after her. Unbeknownst to Jotaro, Kakyoin would come to her house to help her study, even staying over so they could watch movies together. The whole thing felt scandalous and neither of them had told Jotaro, too concerned he might react weird to them hanging out. It’s not like Jotaro would care but she still couldn’t bring herself to do it no matter how hard she tried. 

“So, did the guy that saved you say anything?” Kakyoin, looked down at her as she yawned. 

“He told me that he knew my pain and that it would be okay.” Her mind traveled back to that night, remembering the gentle melody in the background. “There was music and it was so warm. It felt so safe. Next thing I remember, I woke up in the hospital all patched up.” 

“Knew your pain? That’s kind of a weird thing to say to someone that was just attacked. Did you see him?” Kakyoin shifted, his face seemingly unsettled by her explanation.

Atsuki shook her head. “I just heard him talk. The nurses said he just dropped me off and left, didn’t give a name or anything.” 

“That’s unfortunate.” The redhead sighed, groaning as she sat up and stretched again, hissing as it caused pain to shoot through her side. 

“Yeah.” Atsuki slowly slid out of bed, wavering slightly as she went to the bathroom. “The doctors’ said I can leave tomorrow. My side had a large wound but it wasn’t that deep and they said it was healing really quickly. I want to get back to school as soon as possible because I have to be prepared for the festival.” 

“Just because you’re released, doesn’t mean you can start pushing yourself.”  
Jotaro warned, his voice stern. 

She spoke through the door, hoping they could hear her okay as she washed her hands. “Yeah I kno-“ Atsuki frowned as she stared at her reflection, noticing some of her hair had transitioned to red instead of black. The few strands that had changed were underneath the top layer, hiding them from sight unless someone was really looking. 

“Do you see me?” The voice she heard cause her to jump and let out a small yelp, her mind swirling as her head began to throb. No one was there. Who was talking? 

“Atsuki? What happened?” Kakyoin’s voice had moved closer, sounding like he was leaning against the door, ready to open it if he needed too. 

“I’m fine, I just slipped.” Atsuki calmed her trembling, glad when the throbbing in her head ceased and she was able to open the door. Both Kakyoin and Jotaro stood waiting, expressions expectant as she walked out. 

“It’s hard to slip with hospital socks on.” Jotaro stated, eyes narrowing as he studied her skeptically. 

“I’m just that special.” Atsuki sent him a wink as she climbed back into bed, relaxing in the pillows with a sigh. What the hell had happened? Should she tell them? What would she say ‘Hey, guys, my hair is turning red and I’m hearing voices’? That would go over smoothly. 

“Atsuki!” The loud shouting from the hall made her jump, tensing as Joseph ran in with a teddy bear and flowers, shoving them into her arms before hugging her tightly. “My sweet girl got hurt.” 

“Sweet girl?” Jotaro questioned, face disgusted as he watched his grandfather coo over her. 

“Yeah, she reminds me of Holly when she was younger.” Joseph smooshed her cheeks, smiling warmly as she blinked. “It’s like having another daughter.”

Atsuki’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him, her heart aching at the thought of having a father as loving as Joseph. She saw how sweet he was to his daughter and it made her wish she had a father that amazing. No words left her mouth as she squeezed the teddy bear close and held back tears. 

“Really?” Her voice shook as she stared at him, her lips quivering from the sheer amount of strength she had to use to not cry. 

“Really.” His tone was sure as he placed a comforting hand on her head, ruffling her hair as if she was a child. The softness in his face and eyes made her broken heart begin to feel whole again, leading her to believe that this is what feeling loved should be like. 

Atsuki snapped, tears flowing freely down her face as Joseph hugged her in an attempt to cease her happy sobbing. The hospital had contacted her parents to inform them of her condition but they still didn’t plan on coming home to see her. They had sent over extra money and told her they could hire her a bodyguard if she liked, but she refused. What she wanted was her parents, not someone being paid to babysit her. Plus, she was sure Jotaro or Kakyoin would help her if she needed it. 

“Well, we tried keeping you safe and all it did was push you to the danger.” Joseph’s hand stroked her hair gently, looking to the two boys sitting quietly. “She’s the first one to survive an attack from one of these things, I don’t know if she’d be targeted again.” 

“We could have her come stay with us again.” Jotaro offered, glancing to Atsuki. 

“No, I don’t want to bother you anymore than I already have.” Atsuki shook her head as she played with the bow tie on the bear Joseph gave her. 

“It would be more trouble if you were attacked and we had to rush to get you.” Kakyoin stated. 

“What if I learn to fight then? I can’t rely on you guys constantly.” Atsuki glanced between them, praying they would give her some freedom. 

“You can’t learn to fight when you’re hurt, and even if you did, you wouldn’t be able to protect yourself from an enemy’s stand.” The glance Jotaro gave her inspired an internal groan. He was right but that didn’t mean she had to accept it. 

“Let’s not worry too much about it for now. I’ll have them release you to me tomorrow and you can stay with us while you recover.” Joseph pulled the blanket up and tucked it under her chin, standing to stretch afterwards. “Come on, we should give her some space. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Bye.” Atsuki gave a small wave, along with her soft whisper. The two boys stood, Jotaro hesitating slightly before following them out. Atsuki’s eyes stayed locked on them as they left, lingering on the doorway long after they disappeared. She hadn’t exactly wanted them to leave, but having them stay in these chairs overnight would be rude and unfair. Atsuki let her eyes flutter shut, the sounds of the hospital drifting away as a soft, familiar melody entered her mind. The music let her worries to dissolve and her exhaustion took over, pulling her into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

The babying she received from Joseph when she returned home was immense. While she could function, Joseph was extra attentive and careful, watching her closely. After a few hours of his coddling, she finally caught on.

“Joseph, I’m okay, you don’t need to worry this much.” Her assurance earned a small smile from the man as he sighed. 

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to. You may seem fine now but that can change real quick.” Joseph explained, handing her some tea as he lowered himself to the ground beside her. Atsuki refocused her attention on her drink, sipping it as she spread out her legs under the kotatsu. 

“I don’t feel different or scared or anything. I’m used to being attacked so the only difference is I ended up in the hospital this time.” Atsuki’s eyes saddened, glazing over as she dove into her thoughts, flashing through each time she had suffered at the hands of bullies. That night, she had been ready to accept death because of how she had spiraled. Her whole word felt like it had fallen apart as she was cast aside by another one of the people she cared about. In reality, Jotaro was just trying to help, to keep her safe, but his words broke what little confidence and strength she had. Knowing she was weak while struggling to act strong was one thing, but being told she was weak while fighting to stay strong was another. Jotaro reaffirmed her knowledge and all of her insecurities rushed back. Her parents lack of presence and care was only one of the ways they expressed their views of her being a problem, the other existing in some of their snide comments. She dealt with a lot of, ‘if you would just’ or ‘it’s not that bad’ when she talked to them, receiving no loving connection as they talked. They hadn’t even asked to talk to her when the hospital contacted them. Sometimes, she thought it was better if she would just disappear. 

“Atsuki?” Joseph’s words made her jolt, snapping her eyes to him in confusion. 

“What?” 

“You weren’t responding.” He stated, stroking her hair gently. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” A smile dawned on her lips as she studied his concerned face. Jealousy was a bitch. She knew Joseph cared for her, maybe as a daughter, but she envied Holly for having someone who had always cared. Having a family that cried over you, laughed with you, smiled with you … it was all she had ever wanted. 

“Good, if you need anything, just tell me.” The man patted her head and stood, leaving her to enjoy her tea in silence. At least here she was around people she trusted and cared for, the hospital had sucked. 

The heat from her treasured table, soothed her, allowing her to flop back and sigh out. Jotaro and Kakyoin had gone out to go shopping for Holly, leaving her here with Joseph to recover despite her wounds being nearly healed. The weekend had rolled around, making it so she no longer had to miss school, a happy miracle for someone who was rather stupid. Luckily for her, Kakyoin was willing to tutor her in nearly every subject without charge. Of course, if he asked for compensation she wouldn’t mind offering him her body, a thought she would never express out loud. 

Atsuki knew she could ask Jotaro for help but she was afraid he might be more condescending and judgemental because of her cluelessness. He had reluctantly helped her with her homework before but she didn’t want to ask that of him again. When it came to math, science, sports, and cooking, she failed miserably at understanding anything. Her brain wandered too much, and comprehending the information confused her greatly. In subjects like English, history, language, and anything in information gathering was a breeze. When she was young, she had learned a few different languages and picked up on them quickly because of her parents frequent traveling. Originally, they planned on her traveling with them to do home school but decided it wouldn’t be healthy. It was a fair concern but she wasn’t much healthier at home alone. 

Drowsiness began to take her, sleep threatening her as her breathing evened out and she relaxed. Before she could nod off, a loud bang sounded in the house and she yelped, scrambling to stand. Her legs gave out and images of the attack came back, filling her mind with nothing but the threat of death. The trembling in her body escalated and her breathing constricted, leaving her gasping and clawing at her throat for some relief. Why? Why was she panicking? 

“Atsuki.” She began to flail as two arms grabbed her, pulling her into a strong embrace. “It’s okay.” 

Once her eyes refocused and the images disappeared, she saw Jotaro above her, holding her hand tightly. Unable to speak, she released a series of whimpers and gasps that transitioned to slight sobbing. 

“Breathe, watch me.” Jotaro’s voice was gentle as he rubbed circles in her back and placed her hand on his chest so she could copy the rhythm of his breathing. A few moments passed of him holding her, trying his best to help her calm down before he moved.

Ignoring the others, Jotaro lifted her from the ground and swiftly brought her to his room to isolate her from the stares of the others. Silence was all that remained as he kept her positioned on his lap with her head against his breast and his hands laid gently in her own. Jotaro, a man who was known for his lack of caring, was protectively coddling her, keeping her safe from the bad memories that had resurfaced. The moments of the attack hadn’t seemed to stick with her. She felt fine and didn’t expect to have any issues recovering from it since no fear had been in her body at the time. The creature was horrifying and it’s attacks were brutal but it didn’t seem like an event that would trigger a reaction that bad. Maybe it was worse than she had originally thought. 

“Thank you.” Her voice had returned, still shaken and quiet but at least it was there. 

“Don’t Thank me, I just wanted to get out of putting away groceries.” His statement was followed by him hiding his face with his hat and glancing away. How cute. Despite his comment, his hold on her palms remained and he shifted her so she was laying between his legs with her torso leaning back on his chest. The beating of her heart was still rapid, causing her to fidget and inhale deeply. “Close your eyes.” Jotaro placed his thumb over her wrist, tracking her heartbeat as he lifted his other hand to play with her hair.

Atsuki had followed his orders, slowly fading into a comfortable slumber as she listened to the steady beat of his heart. 

_________________________________

 

Jotaro’s eyes stayed locked on her, unable to move from her sleeping face. Under her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were stained by her tears. The sound of their groceries falling had been what triggered her, meaning something that simple might trigger it again. Carefully, Jotaro lifted her chin so he could wipe away her tears and gently caress her cheek. The freckles powdering her face made her look adorable as she slept, and he found himself studying each of them carefully. He would never say it aloud, but he found her captivating and he didn’t know why. By normal standards, she was average and bland but he didn’t seem to feel that way. It felt different and weird when he looked at her, and he had no idea what he was experiencing. He’d talk to Joseph or his mom but he was afraid of what their reaction would be. 

The door opened and Kakyoin peeked in, receiving a glare and a hush from Jotaro. The last thing he needed was her feeling unsafe because of the movement around her. The man carefully shut the door and approached them, sitting down cautiously as to not disturb the sleeping girl. His presence made Jotaro shift her in his lap, wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her close. It was obvious she liked Kakyoin and that pissed him off. Being jealous that his best friend was getting more attention was frustrating. He shouldn’t feel so irritated when she was with someone else, it was wrong. 

“Do you want me to take over for awhile? I can hold her so-“ 

“No.” Jotaro cut the boy off, having to hold back the urge to squeeze her close at his words. “Set up a bed for her if you want to help.” 

Kakyoin nodded, registering Jotaro’s tone as a protective one. It was amazing how blind the boy could be with how smart he was. Jotaro ignored his friend as he turned his attention back to Atsuki, noticing the way she smiled at his touch. He carefully placed her onto the blankets Kakyoin spread out and covered her up, pausing as she latched onto his hand. 

“Kakyoin …” Her words came out muffled but happy as she burrowed into her pillow. Jotaro recoiled, ripping his hand away as if he had been burned. A series of complicated emotions seared through him before he brushed past the man in question, not caring that Kakyoin was pushed back by his shoulder. Anger stirred in his gut, causing him to leave the room and hurry outside. What the hell was happening to him? 

_________________________________

Atsuki was happy to be back at school when Monday rolled around. Being pampered was nice but she was getting antsy being stuck in the hospital and at Jotaro’s. While being back was fun and reassuring, the time she missed to prepare for the festival was valuable. 

Since the festival was at the end of the week, many classes were allowing their students to prepare if they didn’t have any work for the hour, meaning everyone was rushing around. 

“Atsuki! Now that you’re back, we need you to try your costume on.” Haruhi shoved it into her arms, having no shame forcing her to stand in class in a maid’s outfit. Their desperate expressions made her internally groan and sigh out reluctantly.

“Fine, but I’m changing in the bathroom.” She glanced at the changing booth in the corner, eyes filled with distrust. Risking getting exposed was not something she was willing to do. 

The walk to the bathroom was quiet and lucky since no one was around to see her. While being in a maid’s outfit was embarrassing, being in one alone was even worse. At least during the festival everyone else would be suffering too. 

As she changed, she examined her bandaged side, glad to see it was healing rather well. No creepy flesh monster would kill her, not today sir. Once she managed to squeeze into it, she flushed darkly, actually admiring how she looked. The top raised her bust slightly, highlighting her rather well endowed chest. The outfit cinched in at the waist, flaring out in a way that hid her chub completely. The outfit was mostly stereotypical, a black dress base with a frilly white apron and white bust. Her dress was off the shoulder but traveled down with long sleeves with frills at the bottom, on her waist was a silky purple bow that matched her purple bow choker and frilly headband. The length of the dress was nice, stretching just below the knees so it covered her plump ass. Atsuki did a slight spin, smiling at how cute she actually looked. 

Shyly, she stepped out of the bathroom, sighing in relief at the sight of the empty hallway. No one would see her like this. Unfortunately, she celebrated early as a voice called out to her from behind. 

“Atsuki?” She glanced back to see Kakyoin and Jotaro with multiple supplies in their arms. 

“Oh … hi.” She waved timidly, face red as she smoothed out the dress, suddenly aware of how it accentuated her body. 

“You look …” kakyoin’s face was slightly flushed, a fact that made her heart race and her breath hitch. 

“I know, it’s a little much … it’s for the festival.” She twiddled her thumbs, expression soft and slightly embarrassed. Atsuki froze in horror as she heard some giggling and heckling from the boys who had entered the hall. Before she could panic, Jotaro poured his supplies into Kakyoin’s arms and took her hand. 

“I’m bringing her to her classroom.” He stated as he sent a glare towards the boys, watching as they shriveled away in fear. Their silent walking was awkward, especially since Jotaro had been ignoring her since her anxiety attack. 

“Thanks. I … how’s your day?” His response was a shrug as he avoided her gaze. “Hey, maybe we can go out to get some tea and Mochi after school?”

“No, I don’t feel like it.” His tone was harsh and his response was immediate. Atsuki slowed, face becoming serious as she pulled her hand away. 

“Did I do something wrong? You’re being douchey … did I say something bad or …” Jotaro stayed positioned forward, his hands placed firmly in his pockets. His lack of response made irritation build inside of her, releasing as she exhaled in frustration. “Fine. Never mind then.” 

Atsuki hurried ahead, getting snagged by Jotaro before she could move far away. His lips were pursed, parting slowly once he looked to her. 

“Fine, let’s go out tonight, just us.” He mumbled, visibly relaxing as she hesitantly smiled. 

“Okay.” Atsuki felt relief at his words, hoping that would mean he would talk to her about what was wrong. She moved away from him again, waving as she made it back to her classroom. The screams of her classmates, made her jump and groan, embarrassed at their excited reactions. This was going to be a long day.   
_________________________________

Jotaro had left Kakyoin behind at school, telling him he had some errands to run so he wouldn’t want to come with. Maybe it was wrong to leave him out, but he wanted to have Atsuki to himself once again. Ever since Kakyoin had come along she had been following him around like a lovestruck puppy, trying her best to win him over without explicitly saying she liked him. It was annoying and he hated watching her be so sappy, mostly because it was all aimed towards his best friend. 

His eyes flickered upward to Atsuki, watching as she walked beside him happily. He didn’t know how tonight would go, especially since he had no idea what he was planning. 

“Where are we going?” Her question made him flinch and look around. 

“You wanted Mochi right? Pick a cafe and we’ll go there.” He muttered, watching as she glanced around curiously. 

“Uh, let’s try that one.” Atsuki pointed at a shop across the street labeled Shikagawa’s cafe.

“Let’s go then.” Jotaro took her hand hesitantly, ignoring her questioning glance. 

“You afraid I’m going to run away?” Atsuki chuckled as she intertwined their fingers, waiting patiently for the street to clear so they could cross. 

“No, I’m making sure you don’t get hit by a car.” His excuse was lame but he didn’t care. He did want to make sure she was safe, but it also felt better when he was able to hold her hand. 

“Thanks for the confidence.” Her words made him roll his eyes as he led her across, making sure not to walk too fast so she didn’t trip. The hold on her hand tightened as they walked, leading Atsuki to stare at them in confusion. Jotaro acted like he didn’t notice her stare, instead pulling her inside to get out of the cold. 

As they entered, the smell of coffee and desserts wafted through the air, leading her to sigh out contently. Jotaro released her hand slowly, following their host to a table in the corner. 

“Is there anything I can get for you to start?” The host smiled warmly, specifically glancing at Jotaro to examine him. 

“I’ll have some chamomile tea.” Atsuki mumbled. Jotaro paused, glancing over the menu quickly. 

“I’ll have roasted green tea.” He shoved the drink menus toward the girl, not giving her the attention from him she was craving. Once the host departed dejectedly, Atsuki chuckled and leaned on her hands. 

“The girls really love you.” Her statement made him snort and lean back, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“It’s annoying. I don’t need them chasing me around all the time.” He grumbled, watching as she undid the buttons to her coat and slid it off. He felt a weird shudder go through his body as he watched her, his mind flickering back to her in the maid outfit. 

“Jotaro, are you okay? You’re a little red.” Her statement made him clear his throat and nod, hoping the redness would calm quicker than some other parts of his body. 

“I’m fine.” Jotaro locked eyes with her again, trying to figure out what he could talk about. He wasn’t one for talking and he knew socializing with him wasn’t always easy. 

“Oh, Jotaro, exams are coming up and I’m struggling in Biology. I was wondering if you could help me study, that is if you feel up to it. I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to.” Atsuki shifted nervously, obviously worried about being rejected. Of course, she didn’t know how hard he was trying to make up a reason for them to be together. 

“Sure. As long as you listen and don’t act stupid, I don’t mind helping.” He muttered, smiling slightly as she grinned widely. The way her eyes sparkled made a weird feeling pool in his stomach, one he wasn’t sure he liked. 

Atsuki’s attention shifted to the waitress as she approached with their tea in hand. “Any food I can get you today?” She placed down their drinks and glanced between them. “We have a strawberry chocolate crepe that is meant for couples.” 

“Oh, uh …” Atsuki paused and glanced to Jotaro for help. 

“Sure, we’ll get that.” His answer was strong as he glanced at the waitress and nodded. He received a knowing smirk before the woman ran off to put in their order. “I hope you like crepes.” 

“I do … I just … do you like crepes?” 

“They’re edible. I don’t care what I get.” He stated as he motioned to her bag. “Do you have your biology notes?” 

Atsuki hesitantly nodded as she removed her notebook, looking up at him slowly. “Yeah.” 

“Can I see them?” His question resulted in her shyly pulling it towards her chest and shaking her head. 

“I doodled some embarrassing things in here.” Her whine was met with a raised brow and stern gaze. Jotaro stood and sat down on her side of the booth, blocking any chance for her to escape. 

“If you want help, I need to see where you are going wrong first. I have books at home I can use to teach you but I need to know where to start.” Jotaro grabbed the notebook and pried it away, flipping open the pages to find something more than just notes. 

The structure of her notes on the page were good and seemed comprehensive, but around all of the edges were hearts and sketches of little animals. In the corner appeared to be a small Kakyoin along with a small heart by his face. The pictures were disheartening but Jotaro pushed passed them, knowing he couldn’t show his irritation at it. 

“Ignore the doodles … even when I study my notes, it’s like my mind can’t comprehend what’s happening. I know it’s not hard … I’m just stupid … I … you don’t have t-“ Atsuki began to spiral, scooting to her corner against the wall. 

“Good grief. Just because you struggle doesn’t mean you’re stupid.” He turned towards her, motioning for her to move back so he could help. Atsuki sighed as she slid over to him, her thigh touching his as she leaned forward to study her work. Jotaro became extra aware of her presence, shifting so one of his arms was behind her on the edge of the booth. 

“Okay, well, I really struggle with …” Atsuki began to point out the parts she didn’t understand, nodding as Jotaro explained them. He made sure to talk carefully, not wanting to say something harsh or too complicated. “So that means-“ 

“And here is your order.” The waitress plopped down two crepes on a heart shaped plate before them, sending a wink and a thumbs up towards Jotaro before scurrying off. Between the two desserts was a single scoop of vanilla ice cream and two spoons for them to use. 

“Oh.” Atsuki’s face was a mix of excitement and embarrassment as she studied the plate, carefully taking one of the snacks in her hand after finishing off her tea. 

“Is it good?” His question made her nod silently, letting out a gleeful cheer at the taste of the strawberries. Jotaro picked up his own treat, only eating tiny bits so he could focus on Atsuki’s happy expressions. The darkening sky outside caught Jotaro’s attention and he dug in his pocket to take out his wallet. 

“Oh! I need to get my money out, one second.” Atsuki’s attempt to dig in her bag was thwarted by Jotaro snagging her hand. 

“I got it this time, get your stuff ready so we can go.” Jotaro paid the waitress before he stood and took Atsuki’s hand, helping her out of the booth so they could safely grab their crepes. The silence as they walked was comfortable and warm despite the chilly night air. Their hands brushed against each other as they walked, making Jotaro feel the urge to grasp Atsuki’s protectively. Having no excuse to touch her was frustrating, especially since his hand tingled every time her skin touched his. 

“Jotaro, why were you avoiding me?” Atsuki’s words made him swear internally, staring forward as he paused. 

“I wasn’t. I had a lot on my mind.” He muttered, biting his food to try and seem more natural. 

“Did you … want to talk about it?” She craned her neck to look up at him, blue eyes soft. 

“No, everything is okay now.” He muttered as he ruffled her hair. Atsuki closed her eyes and cringed, pouting as he pushed her face into the whipped cream. 

“Hey!” She yelped, wiping away some of the mess on her face before glaring up at his amused expression. 

“That’s not my fault, eat faster.” Jotaro glanced away to hide his smile, highlighting the fact that his crepe had been finished already with his empty hand. 

“Oh, shut up.” She muttered, munching on the crepe aggressively to try and finish it. By the time they reached Atsuki’s house, she had finished off her dessert and was holding her stomach it pain. “I ate too fast.” 

“No one said you had to eat that quickly.” His words inspired a wholehearted glare from her, one filled with hate. Jotaro studied her face, observing the several places where chocolate and cream had remained on her skin. It was adorable. A rush of confidence ran through him as he studied her lips longingly. Did he really like her? Guess he’d have to find out. Jotaro reached out, lifting her chin as he bent down to reach her lips with his own. Atsuki recoiled quickly and flushed, obviously confused.

“What are you doing? I was trying to wipe chocolate off your face.” Jotaro felt his heart begin to race, hoping his excuse was good enough to pass. 

“S-Sorry! I just … the last time I ate crepes with someone they ended up kissing me so I freaked out.” She muttered. “N-not that I thought you were going to kiss me, you’re too cool for me.” 

“What, who kissed you?” Jotaro tried to keep his voice even, but failed as his words came out irritated. 

“It’s … don’t worry about. I … I’ll see you tomorrow.” Atsuki waved to him before scurrying inside. Mixed emotions ran through him as he touched his chest, feeling the way his heart thumped violently. If he had kissed her, how would she have reacted? Maybe he didn’t actually like her, maybe it was a mistake. Yeah, it was just a fleeting emotion. It had to be. Jotaro turned, frowning as he walked home. Who the hell had she kissed though? 

When Jotaro arrived home, he paused as he saw Kakyoin studying. “Hey, did you ever eat crepes with Atsuki?” Jotaro’s tone was testy and his expression was unreadable. 

“Uh, no, but I should take her to do that.” A wide smile appeared as he looked to him. “Why?” 

“No reason.” He uttered before walking away. He didn’t know if he was grateful it wasn’t Kakyoin or upset. Since it wasn’t him, there was someone else out there pining for her and he had to find out who.


	9. Chapter 8

The next few days leading up to the festival were busy, leaving Atsuki feeling exhausted but more focused. Her work with her class and with Kakyoin in the art club had dominated her life, making it so she went straight from evening activities to bed. Luckily, the setup for the festival had been finished the night before so all she had to do today was attempt to be a cute maid. She had taken the morning shift as a maid, knowing she’d rather be able to go around the festival this afternoon with her friends. If she was lucky, maybe she could get Kakyoin to dance with her at the bonfire tonight. Of course, if he didn’t want to, she would be devastated and have to deal with the shame of asking. Her mind slipped away from her crush as she approached her classroom, smiling at the cute cafe decor they had gathered.

“Time to do this!” Atsuki gave a fist pump to her fellow maids before rushing to get changed. This was going to be fun. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

“Jotaro? What’s up?” Atsuki stepped out of her classroom, maid uniform hugging her curves tightly. 

“Nothing. I just wanted to show you something.” He muttered as he stole her hand, pulling her along as her classroom faded away. 

“Nothing. I just wanted to show you something.” He muttered as he stole her hand, pulling her along as her classroom faded away. 

“Wait, I can’t just leave the cafe, they need me.” Her argument fell on deaf ears as Jotaro pulled her into an empty classroom. 

“I need you.” Jotaro’s response was soft and barely audible. 

“Jojo … you know I’ll always be here for you. Is something wrong?” Atsuki approached him, placing a comforting hand on his chest since she couldn’t reach his cheek. 

Jotaro shuddered as he let out a shaky breath, his eyes wandering over her body. His mind swirled as he lifted her chin, feeling her delicate skin beneath his palm. He couldn’t do this much longer.

“Yes. The fact that you love Kakyoin is wrong.” He gritted his teeth but kept his tone even and serious, his eyes locked onto her. 

“I don’t love him.” She frowned, turning away.

“What about all of your doodles? Your obsessing? You love him.” His statement made her swivel, eyes locking on his. 

“I find him attractive but he’s not the one …” her words cut off as her gaze shifted to the floor. 

“He’s not the one?” Jotaro grabbed her hand, gently pulling her over. “Then who is?”  
“You are, stupid.” Atsuki attempted to look away but Jotaro snapped. A yelp escaped the girl as he lifted her from the ground and placed her on a desk, pressing his forehead to hers in the process. When she opened her mouth to speak, Jotaro took it as an opening and quickly captured her lips in a kiss. 

Jotaro felt himself trembling as he ran his hands up her back, squeezing her tightly as if she could disappear if he let go. Atsuki’s arms slowly maneuvered their way around his neck, her hands grasping at his hair playfully as she tried her best to kiss him back. Jotaro finally pulled away, panting as roughly as she was, maybe even more. Their eyes met, leading him to cup her cheek and exhale shakily. 

“Can I-“ Atsuki didn’t wait for him to finish, instead nodding quickly as she yanked him closer. 

“God yes.” Her exclamation made his nether regions warm as he lifted her up, throwing her down onto a couch that was shoved to the side of the room. While he never asked for permission for anything else, Jotaro wasn’t a man who would force himself on a woman without her approval. He would be forceful as long as she was into it. 

Jotaro climbed over her, pinning her hands down as he pressed his knee between her legs, smirking as the pressure made her squirm. He moved down, biting her exposed neck and shoulders before placing loving kisses over the assaulted skin. Her pleasure-filled whimper made him shudder, moving to undo one of his belts. It might be too soon to go all the way, but he wouldn’t hesitate to make her moan. He used the belt to lock her wrists to the table in front of them, pausing as he stared down at her flushed form. 

“You’re mine. Kakyoin won’t have you and whoever the fuck kissed you won’t have you either. As long as you … want me, I plan on keeping you close.” His words made her face scrunch up in embarrassment before she spoke. 

“Yes, I will be yours, master.” Her tease of the dirty name made him growl as he went back in for more touching. 

A loud thump pulled him out of his dream, making Jotaro tense and look around. 

“Jotaro, are you coming with us to see Atsuki or not?” Kakyoin grumbled as his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed. “I can’t believe you fell asleep during my art show, how rude.” 

“I enjoyed it, Kakyoin.” Katawa gave him a thumbs up and smiled. “We can go see her without him, three is a crowd anyways.” 

“I’m coming.” The man stood, thankful no boner had lasted passed his dream. His mind swirled as he hid his face, the slight flush still remaining as he exhaled. Katawa scowled, obviously still holding a grudge against him from his actions towards him. It was embarrassing to think about. How could he face her after dreaming about them nearly fucking? What a pain. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Atsuki happily ran around, shocked at how many people requested her to be their maid. She knew she looked cute in this but didn’t think she would be picked over Haruhi or the other girls. 

“Hello, master, how is your day?” She smiled warmly, glancing towards the attractive man before her. His slightly messy crimson hair and soft turquoise eyes would make any girl swoon, not to mention his pretty face, muscly but still slim stature, and height was to die for. Men like him were her type. 

“Hello, beautiful. My name is Iwai Kyo, what’s yours?” He offered her a chair, smiling when she sat. 

“Kida Atsuki, it’s nice to meet you. Is there anything I can get for you?” Atsuki became flustered as he took her hand and kissed it, sending her a playful wink before releasing it. 

“Hm, some raspberry tea and carrot cake please.” His tone was professional but kind, reflecting his proper demeanor. He wore a pure white uniform with a black tie and black detailing. It was very flattering on him. 

Atsuki returned with his request, humming softly as she set them down at his table. “Anything else?” 

“Yes, actually, will you sing for me?” His eyes sparkled as they met hers. 

“W-What?” Atsuki froze. 

“I’m from a prestigious art school downtown and I’m here to scout out potential transfers. When I saw you … I recognized you instantly.” He stood and took her hand once again, pulling her close. “Please, you don’t have to do it now, but will you sing for me later. When do you get out?” 

“Oh, in two hours but … I think you got the wrong girl.” Atsuki averted her gaze, panicking as she hid her face behind a tray.

“I don’t think so … Miy-” Atsuki shushed him as she forced him to sit back down and grasped his face. 

“Ssshh, fine, just don’t let people know! I can’t let people find out about that!” She hissed, flushing as he gently cupped her cheek and ran his thumb across her lips lovingly.

“Then come with me. We can go around the festival together and you can sing when you are comfortable.” Atsuki was panicking, her body urging her to go with the hot dude but her mind telling her it wouldn’t work out. Of course, if she didn’t go he might spill her secret and then she’d be in deep shit. She wasn’t good enough to get into that school he was from, and she knew she’d probably end up embarrassing herself. Haruhi grinned from the corner, giving her a large thumbs up with a wink. This was lovely. Atsuki stepped back quickly, touching her lips subconsciously as they tingled.

“Okay, but I have friends who might want to come along.” she finally spoke up, her words weak as her mind wandered off into deeper thoughts. The man nodded, smiling as he watched her confused and embarrassed expression.

“Hey, Kida, you’re actually looking fuckable.” The girl hissed as one of her familiar bullies slapped her ass in an attempt to make her snap. Before she could even respond, Kyo grabbed the man by his throat, slamming him against the wall in anger. 

“How dare you. Touching women ... insulting them … how pathetic. All women are flowers who deserve to be admired.” His grip tightened, making the man gasp and claw at his hand. 

“Kyo … please …” Atsuki’s touch calmed him and he sighed. 

“I suggest you leave and take your vulgar language with you. If I see you assault any woman again, I will break each of your fingers until you know where your hands belong.” He shoved him away, watching as the boy scurried off. 

“Thank you.” Atsuki’s words were met with a shake of the head. 

“Don’t thank me, you shouldn’t be subjected to that in the first place. It’s my responsibility to protect women from guys like that. Guys that think they have free reign to touch women how they want are scum, and I will not stand for it.” The man slowly sat back down, ignoring the admiring stares the other guests were giving him. 

“Well, if you need anything else, let me know.” Atsuki bowed before glancing up to see her friends in the doorway. 

“Oh, guys, come in and sit.” Atsuki smiled as she bounced over them, leading them to their seats. 

“Is your ass okay?” Katawa asked, face showing slight amusement and part concern.

“Oh yeah, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s been spanked.” Her teasing made the other two boys blink in confusion, their expressions shocked by the sexual comment. “Anyways, I’m okay. Iwai helped.” 

“Do you know which one that was? I’d like to talk to them.” Jotaro’s fierce eyes made her shake her head. She knew very well who it was but there was no way she would tell him. 

“So, what can I get you, master?” Jotaro choked on his spit, turning away to avoid their gazes. 

“You okay?” Atsuki placed a hand on his arm, only to get brushed away.

“I’m fine, don’t touch me.” His growl confused her. He had been so willing to touch her the other day, what was different now? Her brows furrowed in confusion but she held in her comments, shifting in her spot awkwardly before scanning the others.

“Okay?” She glanced to Kakyoin, grasping her notebook tightly.

“Just some green tea and cherry pie.” He smiled. 

“I’ll have some coffee with coffee cake.” 

“Chocolate cake,” Jotaro grumbled, waving her away. 

Atsuki gave a brisk nod before walking off, leaving the men to discuss what had happened. Before she could reach their makeshift kitchen with her friends' orders, Kyo intersected her, grasping her hand before pulling her close once again.

“Kida, I’ll be back in two hours to meet with you.” He spoke gently as he examined her features. 

“Oh, go ahead and call me Atsuki.” Her words made him grin, an action that melted her heart. 

“Atsuki, you can call me Kyo.” He gave her knuckles a brief kiss before leaving, abandoning her there to internally squeal. How embarrassing. She wasn't used to getting this type of affection and that seemed to be all she was getting recently. Who knew being surrounded by hot guys would be so difficult? With a sigh, she submitted their orders, stepping behind a screen to take a deep breath. too much socializing. 

When Atsuki returned with their orders, she happily sat down beside Kakyoin and Jotaro. “I can sit with you guys on my break. How’s the festival?” 

“Fun, they have a haunted house we can go through if you like. Oh! They have karaoke too.” Katawa smiled brightly, as he ate. 

“Sounds fun. We can do that. What did you guys want to do?” She glanced between Jotaro who shrugged and Kakyoin who smiled. 

“I wouldn’t mind seeing the play.” Atsuki nodded enthusiastically at Kakyoin’s suggestion, her face bright. Jotaro shifted, ‘accidentally’ kicking Kakyoin’s leg. “Hey!”

“Whoops, sorry.” He shrugged as he glanced away, leaving Kakyoin scowling. Atsuki’s growling stomach made her groan and plop her head on the table. 

“I forgot to eat this morning and I can’t get food here because we need enough for the customers.”

“You always do that.” Katawa scolded as he dug for money, stopping as Kakyoin held out some of his cherry pie to her. 

“Here, you need food.” Atsuki flushed as she reached for the fork, blinking in confusion as he pulled it away. 

“Open up.” His smirk made her purse her lips but she obliged, letting out a gleeful noise at the taste. The thought that Kakyoin had used the same fork made her blush and smile warmly. Maybe he liked her. Kakyoin’s finger brushed over her lip, wiping away some cherry filling before he licked it off. 

“It was good, thank you.” Atsuki stood quickly and stumbled away, obviously flustered by his actions. 

“What’s her problem?” Kakyoin blinked in confusion, looking to Katawa as he snorted. Jotaro’s eyes contained mixed emotions, anger and sadness all in one. How can he win her over when she was this into Kakyoin?

“It’s so obvious, dude. She likes you.” Katawa looked after her. “She strives so hard for your attention and She lights up whenever you look at her. I don’t mean to push you or anything but do you like her back?” 

Kakyoin’s cheeks reddened as he looked towards her. “I … don’t know.” Jotaro clenched his fists, bending his fork completely when he did so. 

“Well you better figure it out, you can’t lead her on forever.” Jotaro stood, shifting the table as he left angrily. 

“He’s right, she deserves to know the truth,” Katawa mumbled, glancing to Atsuki. The boy stood and sighed, giving Kakyoin a slight wave before he left Kakyoin alone to think about his choice. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

When Atsuki got out, she was disappointed to find Jotaro and Kakyoin were nowhere to be seen. She had changed back into her school uniform and was now waiting patiently for her friends. Maybe they were doing something else. 

“Atsuki.” Her head snapped up, bringing Kyo into her view. 

“Oh, hey.” She smiled as she walked over to him, eyes saddened. “My friends haven’t shown up.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He gently took her hand. “We can go around together though. Where would you like to go first?” 

“I’m hungry so we could try some food stands.” Atsuki reached for her wallet and sighed. “Or not.” 

“I can take care of it. I can’t let my potential classmate starve.” He cheered. 

“About that … I’m not that talented. I don’t want you to be disappointed when I don’t meet your expectations.” Her words were soft but gentle. 

“You don’t have to be perfect to make it into that school. School is there to teach you how to get better and I’ll help. Besides, you can’t lie to me and say you’re bad when I’ve heard you. You even have a dedicated fan club.” Kyo stopped them in front of a Takoyaki stand, ordering two types along with some dumplings from the stand beside them.

“Oh god … don’t mention that. It so embarrassing.” She uttered awkwardly. Singing had been a large part of her life, so big that she created a fake persona and performed as her. She had done everything possible to hide her identity, including wearing a wig, contacts, a lot of makeup, and clothing that she would never be confident enough to wear herself. How the hell did he find her out? Maybe she could find out.

“So, tell me about yourself.” Atsuki’s request was met with surprise as he opened his mouth and furrowed his brow. 

“Well, I’m the representative of my class. My focus is on singing but I play various instruments as well.” He explained. “I really like ramen, a little too much. I have a little sister who loves cooking so we cook together a lot.”

Atsuki nodded as she ate, her eyes focusing on him as he spoke. A soft giggle escaped her as he began to joke around, making her smile widely as she finished up her food. 

“Atsuki, there you are,” Kakyoin called out to her, pushing through the crowd to reach her.

“Kakyoin! Hi!” The exclamation that left her was followed by her standing abruptly, nearly falling over as she smiled up at him. “Is it just you?” 

“Yeah, Jotaro and Katawa got stuck helping out with some last-minute design stuff.” He explained, glancing to Kyo. “Can I steal her for a bit?” 

The boy smiled, crossing his legs as he gave Kakyoin a knowing smile. “Of course, I’ll need her when you’re done but … you two have fun.” 

“Okay? Bye Kyo, I’ll see you later.” She waved before getting pulled away by Kakyoin. The man intertwined their fingers, leading her along as he approached the haunted house 

Atsuki felt her heart begin to race, mostly because of Kakyoin’s warm touch but partly stemming from the idea of them going into a dark place with him. 

“How about we start here ... unless you don’t like haunted houses.” Atsuki shook her head, smiling as he squeezed her palm lovingly. 

“It will be fun.” Atsuki exhaled before they stepped in, the curtains behind them shutting to leave them in darkness. A faint red light was flickering at the end of the hallway, making Atsuki step closer to Kakyoin instinctively. His arm slowly wrapped around her, brushing his fingers over her side carefully. A noticeable shudder ran through Atsuki and her face turned red, luckily being hidden by the darkness surrounding them. 

“I have you.” Kakyoin’s voice came out husky and soft, making her mouth water for the feel of his lips. Their steps were slow as they tried to avoid tripping but she didn’t mind. The longer he held her, the better. A sudden screech from a fake monster, sent her stumbling back in shock, flashes of her attack dominating her mind. Atsuki trembled violently, nearly collapsing onto the ground in utter terror. Ringing vibrated in her ears and she felt her lungs constrict as she gasped and clawed around for something to ease her horror. She didn’t want to panic but her body wouldn’t listen when she tried to rationalize the situation. Her body tensed as Kakyoin easily pulled her up, escorting her passed the rest of the people and into the room next door. 

His arms cocooned around her, protecting her from the outside world as he ran his fingers through her hair. 

“Don’t let go. P-please .. d-don’t.” She sobbed, nearly dropping to her knees. 

“I won’t, I won’t ever.” He dragged her over to the desk, seating her so he could cup her cheeks and look into her eyes. “Focus on me, you’re safe.” 

Atsuki nodded, trembling as she laid her hand over his, trying to calm her tears and breathing. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about … what it would cause … I’m stupid, I’m making issues for you.” She began to spiral down, her self loathing overtaking her. 

“No, no. This isn’t your fault.” He brushed her tears away with his thumbs and looked into her eyes. “I’m here, Atsuki … I’m here.” 

Kakyoin watched her carefully, her body glowing from the outside sunset. The world faded away as he leaned forward, their lips meeting gently as he placed his hand on her cheek. As they parted, her eyes locked with his and her heart fluttered. He kissed her. Kakyoin leaned back in, this time pressing against her more lovingly as he deepened the kiss. Atsuki whimpered, clawing at him longingly as his hands traveled up her thighs, squeezing them gently as he rubbed circles on the skin. 

“Kakyoin, I really like you …” Atsuki’s words were met with another kiss and a slight chuckle. 

“I finally noticed and I think my answer is clear.” He muttered, lifting her palm to kiss it lovingly. 

“Can you say it for me?” Atsuki’s voice was barely audible and filled with shyness. 

“I want y-“ He was abruptly cut off as the door opened and Jotaro stepped in. The man froze, his attention snapping to Kakyoin’s grasp on her inner thighs and Atsuki’s swollen lips. 

“Let's go, you wanted to see the play, right?” Jotaro approached them, helping Atsuki off the desk before motioning for Kakyoin to follow them. Damn. She really wanted Kakyoin to confirm his feelings and hopefully ask for a relationship. Whatever, they could talk about it at the bonfire dance and maybe even get a little frisky. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

 

Jotaro felt like he couldn’t breathe, his anger restricting his ability to function completely. Kakyoin was winning her over and he was hating every second of it. In fact, he might already be in a relationship with her. His hold on Atsuki was the only thing giving him comfort but he could tell it was bothering Kakyoin. His friend wanted to hold her hand as they walked but he wouldn’t budge. Jotaro didn’t give a shit about this play but he needed an excuse to separate them. 

“Jotaro, why are you walking so fast?” Kakyoin frowned as he called out, watching as Atsuki struggled to keep up with his pace. 

“We’ll be late,” Jotaro grumbled, entering the room. He forced Atsuki to sit beside him where Kakyoin couldn’t get to her and crossed his arms. It was petty and childish but he didn’t know how to fix this. 

The play went quickly, mostly because Jotaro was so focused on how to keep them apart that the plot was foreign to him. As the play that seemed to be about some betrayal between lovers came to a close, Jotaro found himself glancing at Atsuki. Her bright eyes had zeroed in on the characters, studying each one in awe. At least she enjoyed it. 

“That was fun.” She looked at the two men. “I need to run off to find Kyo now. You don’t have to come with me though.” 

“I don’t mind.” Kakyoin’s smile made him clench his fists and stand, following him without commenting. Kyo was that guy that had been kissing her hands right? Why was she meeting him? Jotaro kept in his comments, not wanting it to seem like he was prying. They wandered aimlessly for awhile until Atsuki gasped and began to call out to the man she was speaking of.

“Kyo!” Atsuki waved before running to his side. “I’m ready to do this but … I don’t want to be around a lot of people.” 

“Okay, that’s fine. I cleared out the karaoke room for you to use. It can just be us and whoever you are comfortable with being in there.” He grinned at her nod, not hesitating to snag her hand to lead her along. 

“Why does he have to touch her? it isn’t necessary.” Jotaro answered Kakyoin’s irritated inquiry with a grunt, not wanting to lash out at him because of his pent up feelings. They were silent as they followed behind the two, stepping into the room where the karaoke was supposed to be. 

“See, no one is here.” Kyo led her to the small stage, placing a hand on her arm to try and comfort her. 

“I didn’t know she could sing, did you?” Kakyoin glanced to Jotaro as he shook his head. She never had mentioned it but he had heard her humming on occasion and caught her singing a few times. Anytime he’d find her singing, she’d shut up as soon as he came into view though.

Atsuki shifted nervously on the stage, suddenly becoming too shy to start. Her eyes flickered to Kyo for help, resulting in him climbing up next to her and grabbing a microphone. 

“We’ll sing together.” Kyo looked at the playlist of options. “Can you speak English?” 

“Yes, were you choosing an English song?” He gave a nod and clicked a button, smiling as he started. His voice was amazing and the way he moved screamed professional. When Atsuki joined in, he was shocked. Her voice was not only beautiful but also strong. Something about the way she conducted herself and smiled told him that this wasn’t the first time she had performed. Despite her shyness in the beginning, her motions had become confident and joyful, her face lit up as they lingered close to each other. As much as he hated it, their charisma together was amazing and very alluring. How could she be this good and have no one know about it? 

When the song came to a close, Kyo caught her face and smiled brightly. 

“You’re amazing! Please, please think about transferring. With you … we could go so far together.” He shifted his hold to her hands, massaging them lovingly. 

“I’ll … think about it. It’s a big decision to make. especially since I don’t know what I want to do after school.”

“That’s okay. Just know, your future in music may be prosperous.” Kyo handed her a business card and pulled back. “I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of the festival, please think about it.” 

Jotaro watched the man wave and leave her side, smiling softly at them before he disappeared out the door. Good, now he would just have to focus on keeping her away from Kakyoin for the rest of the day. If they were together at the bonfire, his chances of being able to convey his feelings would be destroyed. 

Jotaro stood, shoving his hand in his pockets as she approached them happily. Warmth and joy radiated off of her, face beaming with pride at her performance. 

“That was amazing, Atsuki.” Kakyoin reached out to her, smiling as she allowed herself to be pulled into a loving embrace. Jotaro made a disgusted sound as he looked away, eyes narrowed at nothing. He hated this. A loud bang made her jump, pulling away when a boy dashed into the theater. 

“Kakyoin! We need help with the art exhibit!” His motions were panicked as he clasped his hands together and began to beg. “It’s bad, everything is falling apart. Please!” 

The boy hesitated, his eyes flickering to Atsuki in uncertainty. “Sure, I can help out for a little while.” Reluctantly, he parted with her, leaving the room to go help the disaster unfolding in his homeroom. 

Atsuki’s eyes lost the joyfulness that had once been there, being replaced with disappointment. “The bonfire is starting.” Her hand retreated to her arm as she looked down. There was no doubt she was expecting to dance with him, and now they wouldn’t be able to. 

Jotaro placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly as he lifted her chin to peer into her eyes. “I’ll take you. It will be a pain but at least you can go.” Jotaro didn’t wait for a response, pulling her along. This might be the last time he could touch her before she was no longer available. He had to savor it. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

 

Atsuki felt numb as she tagged along beside Jotaro, her mind swirling. She had been so excited to dance with Kakyoin that it physically pained her that he couldn’t be here anymore. Jotaro had reluctantly stepped in so she wasn’t alone but it was just sad forcing him to stand with her outside in the cold. 

Atsuki shoved her hands in her jacket pocket as they approached the fire, her face sullen. The sky had become dark as snow trickled down around them, landing elegantly in the grass. The large fire was the main source of light in the field where the small dance was held, leaving most of the people in darkness. Multiple stands of warm foods and drinks were pitched around the area to help keep students warm and a few teachers lingered to supervise. 

Atsuki’s eyes studied all the people dancing happily, even Haruhi with all of her friends. “We should just go, thanks, Jojo.” The abrupt grabbing of her hand made her nearly stumble back but she managed to straighten out and look at Jotaro.

“Let's dance. You wanted to and if you’re all depressed over winter break it will be annoying.” He grumbled as he placed her hands on his chest before he snatched her waist. Her height limited her ability to reach his shoulders, making it so she could just barely touch them. 

“You won’t have to deal with me over break though.” Atsuki raised a brow at the look he gave her. 

“You’re staying over for Christmas and New Years. My mom and Joseph already decided.” He sighed out at her laugh, his blue eyes scanning her face. 

“Of course they did.” Atsuki laughed, her eyes meeting his as she awkwardly moved with him. The hold on her body was tight but gentle enough to make her relax and lean closer, eventually pressing herself against him. Jotaro’s grasp on her waist turned into a tight hug, one that made her eyes flutter shut and her breathing even out. The sound of his heart beat traveled through her, making the rhythm of her own slowly sync with his as a sense of peace rested over them. She never expected Jotaro to be one to do this, to be this gentle and caring, especially in front of other people at school. 

“You wanted to be with Kakyoin, didn’t you?” Jotaro’s voice was soft as they moved, his body tensing at his own question. 

“Yes, But … it’s fun dancing with you too. I just know there is a rumor saying that if you get a kiss at the dance, you will be lucky starting after that day. God knows I need luck …” She sighed out softly, her body deflating against him. “He never got to tell me how he felt and we didn’t decide what we’re doing … I don’t know if he wants to date me or not. Sorry, you don’t want to hear about this.” 

“No, I don’t.” He sighed. “But I’ll listen. You two will figure it out. One thing I can do to help though …” Jotaro lifted her chin carefully, the light from the flame illuminating his face. “Is bring you luck.” 

Atsuki’s ability to question him was cut off as his lips met hers, spreading warmth throughout her slightly chilled body. His warm arms kept her close, the kiss ending a few seconds after it started. As he pulled away, his face hardened again and he looked away. 

“Jotaro, you-“ Atsuki’s blubbering ceased as he shook his head. 

“A kiss means nothing if there are no feelings behind it.” He stated. “You wanted luck though, so I thought I would help.” 

“Oh, okay.” A slow nod was all she could give as she carefully ran her fingers over her lips. 

“Come on, let’s get you home.” Jotaro waved for her to follow as he walked ahead, his normally proud, strong shoulders slumping slightly as his gaze drifted to the ground. Weird. 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Jotaro sat back in his living room silently, his back pressed against the wall as he stared out at the moon. The darkness showered his form as he watched the small flecks of snow sprinkle from the sky. He had never had his chest hurt like this. At first, he thought it had been terrible heartburn but now it hurt so bad he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Kakyoin was his best friend and Atsuki was the first girl he had ever truly felt something other than annoyance for. It was frustrating. 

His attention snapped up as Kakyoin entered the house, pausing as he saw Jotaro. The boy slowly entered the room, his gaze shifting down to some knick-knacks on a shelf. He began to fidget, moving them around as his lips parted. 

“Do you like Atsuki?” Kakyoin’s words were light and blunt, no noticeable emotion filling them. 

“What?” Jotaro glanced to his friend, his body tensing. 

“Do you like her? I do, Jotaro, but … if you like her, I will back off.” His eyes slowly drifted to Jotaro. “I plan on asking her out over winter break but I need to know how you feel.” 

Jotaro stayed silent, contemplating what to say and how to say it. She liked Kakyoin and he liked her. Could he really be selfish and ask his friend to reject her just for him? Could he really let him break her heart? Maybe. Jotaro exhaled and stood, walking over to the redhead to place a hand on his shoulder. 

“No, I don’t like her.” He stated. Kakyoin’s face brightened and he smiled. 

“Thank god. I was worried because of how you were acting.” He nodded to Jotaro and sighed in relief. “Goodnight, we can plan something to do in the morning.” 

As Kakyoin disappeared from the room, Jotaro let his head rest on the wall, his eyes shutting as he touched his chest. He couldn’t admit it. He couldn’t break both of their hearts like that. In the end, he didn’t care for her that much anyway. She would be better off with Kakyoin. Jotaro’s unraveling emotions made him swallow hard and exhale to calm down, pushing his feelings down to hide everything he felt. It was a bother anyway. He didn’t need love. 

He straightened his posture, slowly heading to his room to sleep. Hopefully, his dreams were better than reality.


	10. Update

Hey!I haven't updated in awhile because I've been busy with college and life. It's been hard to keep up with what I have so this story is still going it will just be a bit before I update again! Break is coming up so I may try to get stuff done during that. Thank you for reading so far and I hope you hold on until I can come back!


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